Tsuki no Hime
by mynightshining
Summary: [PART 6 UP]It's been 6 years since Hitomi has been to Gaea 10 years since her first visit. Hitomi now has a daughter and must get her to Van, but what happens when the little child is captured?
1. Tsuki no Hime: Part 1

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Author's Note: It's not like anyone reads these in the first place, but hey! So, yeah I'm an idiot. Instead of majorly editing and making the chapters exactly how I want them to be the first time, I just continually edit, and edit, and add. I am really sorry for that. Hopefully this will be the last edit for a great, long while. ^_^; Please read and review. I need all the constructive criticism I can get. 

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Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. I wish I did though, but I don't. The Esca characters belong to the creator of Escaflowne. My characters are my characters. Hitomi, Van, Allen, etc. are there's. 

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The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 1

Many people say that loving someone only leads to broken hearts and torn souls. These are the people with those broken hearts and torn souls. The people that are afraid to love, because however many years ago it was the love of their lives, or so they thought, left them at the alter, or after a night of intimacy fearing that they will be fathers or mothers. When the death of a loved family member hurts more than they would have others believe. They were left behind, like a twenty year old piece of birthday cake that's still on the table of a disserted home, a home that use to be filled with life giving love, care, and happiness. Now the home is old and falling at the seams. There is no trace, no reminisce that love and happiness ever existed. But, for two people the love that they have for each other is the only thing that is keeping them sane. 

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When Uryko reached the door he stretched out a tremulous hand. It paused, as if unsure that was the right thing to do. A small hand rested on his shoulder. He looked behind him for strength, and the comfort in knowing it was right. Two large hazel colored eyes, which belonged to his old friend, Yukari, starred back at him, a faint smile appeared on her lips. It was not one of happiness, but one of sorrow and grief. She looked at the door and back again, back into his eyes. Uryko found the strength to open the door. 

The room itself was neat and clean. There were a few clothes on the floor. Empty cans of soda were crushed and laying randomly about the room. The lights were off and the curtains were drawn closed. No light was able to pass by the shrouds of bitterness and sorrow. Sorrow, dejection, and anguish were all too light of terms to be used. The feeling of utter suffering and the pain of a mother's bond with her child broken could be felt. It seeped through the veins of Uryko, and Yukari. Making them want to break down.

It was as if a heavy mist had come so fiercely, so intent on bringing sorrow and anguish to this room, and so forcefully you could not but help to feel the same way too. It hung in there, feeding off the pain of others. The mist was like the one's you would see in the early mornings in the mountains. It was so heavy it separated Uryko and Yukari. They went their separate ways looking about the room that represented almost everything dear to their closest friend, Hitomi.

Breathing was hard: instead of long savored breaths; there came the short little gasps of grief. 

Yukari walked around the room in complete and utter silence playing with the ring on her left ring finger. Silently, she wished that this would never happen to her and Amano or anyone else for that matter. Her hand rested on her abdomen. Only five more months had to pass until she would become a Mother, like Hitomi. 

No noise was heard in the room but the sound of running water and the short gasps of sorrow coming from the two in the room. As she neared a door off the far left of the room the definite sound of running water became clearer and louder. 

When she reached the door she hesitated as Uryko had done earlier. She swallowed hard. Yukari found the courage, the strength to move. As she rested her hand on the doorknob a rushed feeling of the freezing metal ran through her arm. It made her shiver intensely. The door swung open slowly, mist seeped out of the room. Yukari stepped forward and entered the bathroom, which held ten times the weight of the feeling as when she first walked into the bedroom. As they were in the room it's self, the lights were off in here as well, though the mist created an eerie, ghostlike luminescence.

"Hitomi?" Yukari managed to squeak out meekly, moving over to the shower. Hesitantly the amber-eyed woman pulled the shower curtain back. 

Hitomi was lying in the corner of the tub. Burning, hot water was beating down on her at full blast. The drenched black cocktail dress and soaking straw colored hair clung to her skin. Her cheeks were bright red and irritated from the salt tears that ran out of ammunition some hours ago: skin red from the blood rising to greet the searing water. Her head was tilted back against the wall. Those green-gold orbs, once full of joy, were closed lightly, banishing every shred of hope. All that remained was pain, sorrow, anguish, and self-pity. Her lips hung slightly open allowing the drops to roll into her mouth. The steaming water would hit her face and roll down in chaotic streams. 

"My God! Uryko, help me!" Yukari hollered; her voice wreathed in panic. Tears began to slowly make their way down her cheeks.

"What is it?" Uryko asked hurriedly as Yukari bent over to turn off the shower.

"Help me pick her up." 

Uryko bent down and picked up the soaking Hitomi from the tub. The only protest she had, was a short petite groan that faded away momentarily. Uryko placed her on the bed, making her sit up. Holding her shoulders, he kept her steady as Yukari found as many towels as she could. "Hitomi?" Uryko shook her slightly. He treated her as if she were a porcelain doll, as if he let go she would fall to the ground and shatter. "Hitomi?"

Hitomi's head fell forward and landed on Uryko's shoulder. She was now on the hard wood floor. The once burning water was now cold and ice and made puddles on the floor. "Varie." she whispered nearly inaudible. She grabbed fists full of Uryko's shirt as she cried again, burying her head in the crook of his neck. Dry tears rolled down her cheeks and landed on Uryko's already sopping wet shirt. 

Uryko hated seeing Hitomi like this. Times had changed drastically three years ago and ever since then he was forced to watch as two of the most important women in his life tumbled down hill with unprecedented speed. 

Yukari arrived with the towels leaving the door to the room open and began to wrap Hitomi up. When she had finished she placed her hand on her friend's head and stroked it softly. She moved down to the floor as well. Her arms wrapped around Hitomi and Uryko. They sat there in a small bundle knowing each other's pain.

Outside the room fifteen pairs of eyes watched helplessly as their teachers, friends, family wallowed in suffering. They too had to watch as their best teacher, their constant role model and her child battle with ever-encroaching death.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Uryko and Yukari stood in a small doorway. Their backs against the molding watching. Watching and waiting. Waiting for some unknown sign as they watched Hitomi sit down next to a bed. The two had sent the other children to their beds telling them to get some sleep. But all of them knew, even Yukari who had no powers, that something was going to happen; that Varie would never come back.

Inside the bed, covered with three huge neatly woven blankets, was a small figure of a girl. She wasn't moving. Her eyes were closed and her fingers didn't twitch at Hitomi's touch. Every few minutes the blankets would rise and fall. Rise and fall. Long strands of white, ghostly white, hair was pulled into a loose braid. 

Hitomi, who was now as conscious and down to earth as she was going to get, reached out a tremulous hand and brushed a stray hair away from the young girl's face. With effort Hitomi rolled the girl over onto her stomach. Hitomi's hand hovered over the girl's body, her eyes closed tight. As Hitomi muttered something in an unknown language, Varie's back arched and magnificent wings ripped out of her back. Black feathers floated about the room, sucking in the dim light of the moon. It was just as she feared. New tears began to flow, tears with newly refilled ammunition. They streamed down her face with no mercy, no forgiveness. Hitomi lunged forward and placed her head on the bed. 

With her gut reaction, Yukari jumped forward only to be stopped by a strong and imposing hand that rested on her shoulder. Yukari looked up at Uryko with pleading amber eyes to let her go. Uryko only responded with a slow shake of the head and stern eyes. They became soft and gentle when Yukari rested her head against his chest. A tear rolled down her cheek. Oh, how much she had wanted to be wrapped in Amano's strong comforting arms at this moment, but since he wasn't there Uryko was the next best thing. He was a brother to both Hitomi and her. He was always there when they needed him and He was an excellent father figure to the kids. 

Yukari sniffed, pushing back her tears "All of our lives are going to change today," she whispered to Uryko. "Something's going to happen. Varie's not coming back." She knew he already knew, but she had to say it out loud, she had to say something, even it was a dreadful prophecy.

Hitomi sat up wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. The wings had disappeared, and Hitomi rolled the girl onto her back. Hitomi's mouth refused to move as she tried to speak. It was futile. There were no words, no voice, no sound. Hitomi stood, her right hand began to play with the ring that rested on her left ring finger. Yukari and Uryko had marveled at it when she had come back from her second absence. All Hitomi would say was that she was married to a good man, Varie's father. 

Yukari, Uryko and the others had no reason not to believe her. They had heard her talk about Gaea many times, they had seen Varie's wings, had witnessed Hitomi's power of future sight. They saw the picture of Hitomi and Van in the photo album. Hitomi talked fondly him every chance she got. And when talking wasn't enough, she wrote. Three years ago she had her two books published both about her adventures in Gaea. The books were in the top five best sellers of the year. Even though the publishers pushed for another book Hitomi refused, saying she had accomplished her goal. 

As Hitomi walked over to a drawer, and began to open it, she sang. "Black bird singing in the dead of night…take these broken wings and learn to fly…all your life…you've been only waiting for this moment to arise…" She pulled out a silk ever so cautiously, and went back to the young girl's side. She placed the silk on the ground slowly she unfolded it. A light, heavenly beyond comparison, escaped and illuminated the room.

Yukari and Uryko watched in amazement as their friend pulled out a magnificent white feather. Sure, she had told them many things but not all. Either she failed to remember this fact or she chose to keep it hidden from them. After knowing her for a large portion of their lives, a lot of things still surprised them. It was this feather that created the heavenly light. To their surprise it was almost three times the size of Hitomi's hand. Never had they seen a feather that long, that angelic before. 

"This," Hitomi began to speak meekly and full of grief, "belonged to your father." Her voice became stronger with each breath. "He gave it to me ten years ago, when we first met. At the time, being sixteen and seventeen years old, we had nothing to give except the clothes on our backs and our love. I had to leave. If I could have stayed I would have. It was so mystical there; you would've loved it Varie. Endless fields, sapphire seas." She paused, lost in thought, then she snapped out of it. She returned to her story. "Van sent me home." Hitomi said mainly to herself. She seemed to be watching all the memories from Gaea as they played in random order. Smiling softly, Hitomi continued, "When the war was over I left exchanging only my pendent for a feather off his wing. When I returned six years later. We swore our love to each other. And…" a tear rolled down, "And, I regret never telling you this. And now Van will never know he had a daughter." Hitomi's voice cracked as she hung her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks, chin, and neck. Her hands lightly caressed the feather. Burning every detail: sight, feel, and sound, into her memory. "Please forgive me, Varie. Please forgive me Van. Please…" 

Only hours ago, everyone who knew Amano and Yukari had celebrated their third wedding anniversary and Amano's trip to Europe. He left Yukari promising to be back when their child was due. Yukari stayed with Hitomi and Uryko and helped out the other fifteen residents of the household, children who held special abilities like Hitomi and Uryko. Everything was so joyful, and ecstatic. 

Later that day, Hitomi, Yukari, Uryko and the young ones were playing in the yard. Then, without warning, Varie—the youngest and Hitomi's daughter—had collapsed in the garden. She hadn't woken up since. It was too much like another event three years ago. The rest of the evening was dripping with psychological battles that Hitomi had to fight on her own. 

"I regret not telling him when I had the chance. I thought you didn't survive Varie. The power surge killed me and I only survived because THEY allowed me to live again. I thought you had died too. But you didn't, Varie, you didn't! If you can survive that, Varie, you can survive anything. You can survive this. Please, please….wake up."

One of the many things that bothered Hitomi was that she hadn't predicted this. True, her powers had practically depleted over the course of time. No more horrid visions came to her. Her telepathic connection with Van was severed when the pendant died. Though, having that energist in the house had helped keep a minimal amount of her powers with her. She was able to predict the minor things, like when Varie had broken Tatsuki's nose in a sparing match a few months ago. Hitomi smiled sadly at the memory. The one problem was the premonitions would come after the incident. They had "helped" a lot.

Even though Hitomi's powers had passed, Varie was bombarded with excruciating visions every night in her dreams. Then, it had hit Hitomi like a ton of bricks. Varie had a vision in the day and wasn't able to wake up. Varie had fallen in a comma and everything changed from then on. Hitomi blamed it on the energist she had displayed in the living room above the fireplace. After Hitomi had put it away, Varie woke, and the terrible dreamy visions had disappeared. That stupid energist, it had caused so much pain. That stupid, stupid energist. The energist… 

She bolted upright. "That's it!" 

Before they had a chance to think Hitomi had zoomed past the two at the door and back to her room. Uryko followed. "Hitomi?"

To his surprise Hitomi was smiling, not only smiling but walking about the room as well. She would grab a few items off one shelf and other items off another and placed them in a black duffel bag with the insignia "Tatsu Dojo" in red. A red dragon curled around the letters, guarding them. She moved over to her dresser and grabbed an arm's full of clothes. They were stuffed into the bag. She went back to the dresser and fumbled with the drawer. When it opened she hecticly threw clothes on the floor looking for something. 

"I had forgotten all about it…. Where-is-it?….. Ah-ha!" she exclaimed happily as she held a small wood box stained a cherry color. Intricate designs were engraved into the wood. Dragons of many different shapes and sizes wound about the box. Their wings spread wide, eyes showing every emotion possible, teeth unveiled maliciously. They looked as if they could begin flying about the room. The dragons were surrounding a circle of strange writing that covered two moons. One moon was of the regular sort, barren and full of craters. The other was different, though. It bared an uncanny resemblance to Earth. Clouds hung in the sky, and landforms could be seen in the distance. Apparently, Hitomi understood the writing. She stopped her hectic ways for a mere moment to trace her fingers over it, while an idiotic grin of remembrance played on her lips. 

Hitomi spun around grabbed the duffel bag and headed towards the door. While still looking at the box she slammed into Uryko. A flat and unemotional "Sorry." was her reply as she continued to look at the box.

"Hitomi," Uryko placed a strong hand on her shoulder to catch her attention. She looked up hesitantly from the box. "Are you ok?" 

She nodded as Uryko stared at her with his stern glare he always used to pry the truth out of her. "Uryko, I'll be ok and so will Varie." She ducked underneath his arm. She headed down the hall then disappeared into another room. 

Uryko continued to stand watching the hall for any movement. Hitomi came out of the room the duffel bag stuffed to full capacity. She headed towards Uryko. Stepping forward he let Hitomi run into him again. "What do you think you're doing?" Hitomi moved left. Uryko moved left. Hitomi moved right. Uryko moved right. "Answer me." 

"I'm taking Varie to her father. She'll be safe there."

"Her father? Hitomi, her father hasn't been here for the past six years. He hasn't visited. And if what you say about him is true, if he is a king, then don't you think he married another? And what makes you think that Varie's going to be ok, Hitomi? She's dying. I don't know why. If we can't help her, there's no place on earth where she can be all right. Face it, Hitomi, she's going to die. Believe me." He said plaintively

"Believe in me and I'll believe in you." Hitomi said, her eyes hard, full of determination. She faked right and passed Uryko. 

"Hitomi what are you doing!?!?!" A shrill voice sounded in the background. 

Uryko bowed his head mumbled a few imprecations and turned around only to see Yukari step outside into the backyard. 

When he reached the door Hitomi stood in the middle of the small area of grass holding both the duffel bag and Varie in one arm and small round green stone. The stone looked as if it had snatched the clouds right out of the sky. It had an unnatural glow to it in the dark of the night. Not just the stone, but Hitomi as well. The light that emanated from her brightened everything about her. The small, man made bamboo, and maple forest behind her glittered with promise.

"I can't guarantee when I'll be back. Hell, I don't know if I'll even come back. Please just… don't worry. I'll be safe and so will Varie." Hitomi said to her friends. 

"Hitomi!" Yukari burst out "What are you doing!?!"

The stone rose upward towards the sky, resplendently. A blinding light crashed down in a neat column. 

"Not again!" Yukari whispered eyes wide with fear. "Impossible!"

The light collided violently with the earth. Hitomi began to rise.

"No! Hitomi!"

So how'd you like the fic? I hope you liked it and if you didn't like it then why did you read it? j/k N E ways please R+R. I need all the constructive criticism I can get. 


	2. Tsuki no Hime: Part 2

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Author's Note: Hey, hey!!! Here's Part 2 of Tsuki no Hime. By the way if you're wondering Tsuki no Hime means "Princess of the Moon". If you're ever confused about parts of my story let me know and I'll try to clarify. Most of the confusing stuff will be straightened out through the fic. If you notice any grammatical errors, misspellings of names, or inconsistencies, please let me know and I will fix it ASAP. Well read on and review! ^_^

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Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne.

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The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 2

The harsh rays of the Gaean sun beat down thick and warm, making the Asturian forest glimmer. The valley looked as if it was a shimmering emerald. North, near the edge of the forest there was a small clearing which contained a small creek, wonderful wild flowers, the melodious singing of the forest birds, a gigantic boulder, and three bodies. 

Two were up and active. One with long white hair ran about the clearing trying to capture the butterflies. Another figure towered over the body of a woman, not much older than twenty-six. Her straw colored hair blended with the slowly changing colors of wheat, and straw. Her new white blouse was now brown and tattered. The black spaghetti-strap tank top was covered in sandy dust. And her jeans—well, her jeans had seen better days. Two gapping holes, showing scraped skin of the knees, were where the knees of the jeans should have been. A tear had made its way up to about mid-shin on the right leg of the jeans. 

"Hitomi? Hitomi, wake up." 

Slowly the young woman opened her eyes. Her vision extremely blurred. A sundry array of yellows, oranges, greens, blues, and golds were mixed together to create a Vincent van Gogh painting from his last years. A silhouette of a man towered over her. She didn't comprehend that she was lying on the hard forest floor with many cuts and bruises.

She began to sit up, ignoring the obviously painful protest of her muscles. Dizziness rushed through her head making her wobble. All the colors of the forest were continuously spinning round and round, never stopping. Occasionally the direction of the spinning would shift confusing the poor woman more. When she made it to her feet her legs felt like jelly and began to buckle under the increasing weight. She was about to become friends with the ground once more when firm hands grabbed her by her shoulders to hold her up. She leaned her head forward and it found its place on the man's chest. 

He folded his arms around her and kissed her hair. "Hitomi?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Hmmmm…" Hitomi mumbled. She shook her head back and forth. Slowly she pulled away from the man. Her vision slowly but surely became more focused. A hand moved up and shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun. She stood there staring at the man. Chestnut colored hair glinted in the afternoon sun. The expressions on her face turned from confusion to anger, sadness, and finally disbelief. "Uryko?"

The man nodded. "Where are we, Hitomi?"

"Wh-what…what a-are… you doing here?" Backing away from Uryko, she leaned against the giant boulder, which uncannyingly looked like a dragon's head. Her hand rested on her forehead shielding her eyes from the painful light. "It didn't work." Her line of sight fell to the ground and her arm fell limply to her side. Fear filled her mind, heart and eyes.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'? What didn't work? Where are we?" The tone of Uryko's voice slowly rising, his right eye began to twitch. 

"Varie." Hitomi's green-gold eyes darted back and forth frantically. "Varie. Where's Varie?" 

Uryko's tough exterior slowly dissolved from the steady glare Hitomi gave to him. "She's over by the creek catching the flying thingies. The um…the butterflies. And that's another thing I want to talk to you about. I don't know how long ago she was dying; she couldn't even move. Why is she running about? And…"

Hitomi separated herself from the boulder despite every complaint that surged through her body. Heading towards the creek she left Uryko to continue his mindless, angry babbling without her. Only a few feet away from her destination she halted. 

A small figure, crouched over a small pool of water, was laughing. Snowy white hair flowed over her shoulder revealing one side of her young face. Small hands dived in and out of the small pool of glittering water attempting to capture tadpoles. Bright blue eyes danced with delight.

"Pinch me." Hitomi demanded. 

Uryko cocked his head to one side as he moved next to Hitomi. 

"I want to make sure I'm not dreaming and… that I'm not dead. Pinch me!" Hitomi demanded again offering her arm to Uryko as he tried to protest. Giving up, he pinched Hitomi. "Owwwwe!"

"What?"

"That hurt."

"You told me to pinch you."

"I told you to pinch me, not to cut of my circulation." Hitomi said rubbing her arm. Again, she left Uryko and glided to the little girl. "Varie?" Hitomi sighed. She took a step closer to the young girl. Then hesitated, afraid that any moment Varie would fade away. 

"At least you're not dreaming or dead." Uryko whispered in Hitomi's ear making her jump. Her Jell-O legs wobbled. Uryko's placed his hand on her hips to help her stay up. Hitomi peeled his hands off her.

"I'm okay, Uryko. Really, I'm fine." She smiled slightly, "I should be used to it by now."

The small head turned towards the direction of the noises, which were so out of place here in this serene wonderland. She smiled widely, stood up, and charged towards Hitomi. In a matter of seconds the little child slammed into Hitomi's leg wrapping her arms around her mother. Hitomi bent down to eye level.

"Varie." 

Varie gave a small giggle and smiled again. 

Thousands of emotions crashed over Hitomi, as tsunami crashes on to an empty island. The water filling all crevasses. All at once a barrage of joyful tears streamed down as Hitomi bear-hugged Varie.

"Mom, I…can't…breathe…" Hitomi immediately let go. She smiled again and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders as tears ran down. "You don't have to cry, Mom." A sweet lyrical voice spoke out. 

For the first time in only God knows how long, Hitomi felt alive again, she felt as if her life had purpose again. She couldn't help but feel her world was complete. Whipping the tears from her eyes Hitomi finally soaked in her surroundings. To the left inside the small clearing was the giant dragon boulder. About fifteen feet away a small creek appeared from the numerous trees, ran through the clearing, and then disappeared. The ground was completely covered in a various array of golden grains and wild flowers. Whenever a slight breeze blew it would send the grain into a furious gold rush: rippling in a chaotic synchronization, until the breeze died away. 

"Piggy-back?" Uryko asked Varie. 

"Sure, Uncle U'ko. Thank you." Varie climbed on to Uryko's back with ease. 

"Hitomi," Hitomi turned to face Uryko, "where are we?"

"We're on Gaea, U'ko! Can't you tell?" Varie exploded joyfully.

"Good job, Momo-Hime!" Varie smiled. Hitomi turned to Uryko. He wasn't moving; he even looked as if he was a statue, unable to comprehend. Sighing, Hitomi pointed to the east. "See that faint sphere of white that blends in with the sky?" Uryko turned and looked in the direction Hitomi was pointing. "Hiding behind the moon—Wow, I'm surprised that it's out this early… Anyway, do you see it?" He nodded. "That's Earth. We're on Gaea, Earth's invisible sister planet. Just like Momo said."

Uryko froze. He tried to speak but was unable to triumph over his consternation. His mouth hung open. Varie reached out a hand and closed his mouth. 

"It's impolite to do that." Varie stated.

"You're kidding right? Hitomi, you're joking. This is all one big practical joke. Ha! Ha! I found you out! When is it going to air? Hitomi, Hitomi!" Uryko became more insecure with every non-spoken word from his friend. He followed Hitomi trying to catch up to her. 

"No, Uryko, I'm not joking. That looks like a small road. Let's follow that until we meet up with someone." Hitomi picked up the duffel bag and headed out.

"It's real? Gaea's real?"

"Yes, Uryko!" Hitomi stated, irritated, "I've told you many times. I just wish you and Yukari would listen to me sometimes."

"We do listen to you. Hell—" Varie gasped, "I mean—I listen to you." Hitomi snorted. "We always thought—" Uryko was unable to finish his sentence, for as soon as they stepped on to the road clanking of swords and the rustle of cloth became a gigantic furry around them. In a matter of seconds ten or more soldiers surrounded them, each with their swords drawn. They all wore the same type of clothing; ruffled sleeves, short, fat cylinder hats with feathers, no armor could be seen. All in all they looked rather ridiculous. Though, something had kept Uryko from bursting out in laughter, maybe it was their cold hard unreadable stairs, or maybe it was the fact they had swords and he didn't. 

While Uryko attempted to swallow his laughter, Hitomi struggled to place the soldiers. Something about them seemed so familiar to Hitomi, yet different. Hitomi immediately placed a hand on Uryko's arm to hold him back. Hitomi knew Uryko would fight twice as much soldiers to keep her and Varie safe. 

A soldier stepped out of the circle facing Hitomi. He was obviously the one in charge. His jacket was more regal than the others were; intimidating, if intimidating was the right word. His clothes under the jacket weren't anything like the others. A white puffy shirt flowed over a dark blue vest and his black pants were plain. Simultaneously the long steel blades were sheathed, with a motion of his hand. 

"I am General Leers. I am one of the twelve Knights of Caeli and Second in command of the Asturian Royal Guard here. Forgive me, Miss, but you are on Royal Ground. It's strictly off limits to outsiders." He paused and eyed their clothing distastefully. "We must escort you to the king so he may pass judgement." Hitomi nodded and followed the man. 

"Are you crazy?" Uryko hissed, "We have no idea what they are going to do to us." Then as if remembering all the forms of torture his History teacher made him remember, he whimpered, "What do you think they'll do?"

"Royal Ground? I don't recall there being woods near Palas." Hitomi asked, ignoring Uryko.

"That's because we're nowhere near Palas, Miss." 

Hitomi was silent for a while, looking at the ground, thinking. She tried to bring back all the memories she had of Asturia. 

"Where are you from?" The General asked trying to spark a conversation. 

"Ear-" Uryko began, but was interrupted by Hitomi.

"The East." She said plainly.

"Explains the clothing," A soldier commented under his breath.

"Could you tell me, it Lord Allen still king?"

"Why do you want to know?" 

"He's a good friend of mine." _Or was…_Hitomi added silently.

"The king has many 'old friends' Miss. But he doesn't have any from the East."

"Hush Uryko. I know people in high places, I know the king. I'm positive we'll be alright." 

"Oh, come on Hitomi we can take 'em." 

"Uryko, shove It." she leaned in closer. "And not with Varie around."

"I won't watch." Varie voiced.

"She won't watch!" Uryko repeated smiling with anticipation.

"No! Plus they probably heard us talking about it anyway."

The General smiled at the knowledge of the woman. He was about to speak when he noticed the woman was speaking to him instead.

"How did you know we were where we were? Did you just wait in that area day and night or what?"

The King saw a blue column of light and told to investigate, bring whoever it was to him to pass judgement." 

For an endless hour they walked a brisk pace without stopping. No one except for Uryko was uncomfortable with the silence. He was edgy and nervous. Silence wasn't a good thing. Silence had filled his life ever since the death of his family. Again, his right eye twitched. Varie had fallen asleep on his back and to his surprise she was heavier when she slept. Her small body weighed him down, even more so now. Hitomi wasn't doing so well either. Every once and a while he'd watch her out the corner of his eye holding her head like she had a tremendous migraine, which was most likely true for he felt his head thumping painfully. And other times Hitomi would stop and shake her head a few times before she continued walking.

Eventually, they made it out of the forest and into the direct sunlight. The air was slightly thinner now, and it was easier to breathe, even though heat waves covered the vast landscape. It wasn't a desert, but it didn't look like a forest clearing either. Random plants grew hear and there, new and full of life. Hitomi thought it looked as if the area had been in a fire many, many years ago. In the middle a crude castle stood regally on top of a flattened hill. A stone barricade wound around the castle perimeter. A large wooden door was wide open. Groups of the Asturian Royal Guard and other soldiers laughed and bragged about their almost deadly experiences. Hitomi searched the vast land for any familiar faces. 

The castle it's self wasn't familiar but something about it gave her a sense of a 'haven't I been here before?' feeling. Her eyes widened as she realized where they were headed. It was Allen's old castle. It had changed so much in the past ten years. 

"…Yeah, both wars were exciting, but I'm glad it's over. Fighting for peace and all that isn't what it's cracked up to be. A lot people died: my friends, the Seeress herself almost, too. We went every where, The Mystic Valley, Freid, and Zaibach. You know the story of Seeress? Well it's real. I knew her. She was a good friend of mine during the Dragon War." A strangely familiar voice rang out matter-of-factly. 

Hitomi snapped her head towards the voice, an action that caused her to use all her strength to keep her from toppling over. Her vision doubled and she stopped walking to refocus herself. A guard poked Hitomi in the back with a sheathed sword, indicating for her to move along. She did so hesitantly. She continued to look in the direction of the voice. There was a huge group of men laughing and drinking. One was standing up. His mouth moved but Hitomi couldn't hear what he was saying any more. 

"Hey! Look the guards actually found some trespassers. I guess there are useful after all." Another voice rang out from the group.

"More useful than you!" The General hollered in response. 

"Keep tellin' your self that General!" It was that voice again…from the man who was standing up. He looked uncannyingly familiar. Gears moved extremely fast in Hitomi's brain. If they ran any faster the circuits would blow out. Finally, she knew who he was.

"I know you!" Hitomi shouted, pointing at the man. Everyone became ghostly silent. The soldier stopped walking, some stopped drinking, and all the others just let their mouths hang open. Each was staring either at Hitomi or the man. 

The man himself cocked his head to the side and stared at Hitomi. 

"Your Teo. No wonder you seem so familiar!" 

"That clothing… Lady Hitomi?" he spoke quietly as he moved closer.

Hitomi took a few steps forward only to be cut off by two sharp, cold, steel swords, glittering in the sunlight. She backed away now knowing her boundaries. 

"Hey Teo did ya sleep with her?" One soldier chimed causing every other soldier to laugh. 

"Shut up, Tremme!" Teo growled as he threw an apple at him. In one swift flash the apple fell to the ground cut in two. Teo snorted not at all intimidated by this show of swords-man ship. 

"It's me, Hitomi." 

Teo's mouth hung open. All the soldiers became silent again. None of them dared to say a word. 

"The Seeress?!" General Leers asked, eyes wide with consternation.

Teo strode over to Hitomi. He studied her features: long, straw colored hair, deep green-gold eyes. "Yup. It's you alright." He motioned his hand and the swords were sheathed. "How have you been?" He smiled as they gave each other a quick friendly hug. They continued to walk toward the castle. Leaving the dumbfounded soldiers to be dumbfounded. 

"Extremely better than I was before I came here. My heads killing me though."

Teo smiled, he had missed her so much. For a time she was the only woman he cared for. That was, until he met Rosen. "We can get that fixed easily."

"How are you?"

"Married, a father of three, and lead General of the Knights of Caeli. Leers has to listen to me! In fact everyone has to listen to me, well except Allen and Gaddes…" Hitomi smiled. "Are still plagued with visions?"

"No, thank God. But, Varie used to have them a lot."

"Varie?" Teo stopped walking to think. "Wasn't that Van's mother's name?" Hitomi nodded. Thinking was too hard for Teo in this heat, and he brushed off the matter to be resolved once inside the castle. "Allen will be so happy to see you." 

"You think so? We didn't really leave on good terms." Hitomi said dropping her head recalling the awful memories. She and Allen had fought about a certain amount of things the last time she was here, mainly her pregnancy. Allen never said good-bye to her when she left. 

"N'eh, don't worry about it, 'Tomi. He's been regretting it the minute you left."

"How is Allen anyway?"

"Better than usual, but right now he must be bored out his mind." He said as they passed through the gate. The castle was newly built--obviously fire resistant--giant stones lined the base and made up the towers. "Hitomi?" 

She looked at Teo inquiringly. 

"Who is that?" He pointed toward Uryko who still stood surrounded by guards.

"Oh! That's Uryko, a friend of mine."

"Did you bring him along?"

"Not intentionally." 

Teo waved his hand for Uryko to join them. "Come." Uryko hesitated to move afraid the men around him would chop off his head and Varie's with a quick swift movement. With another wave of Teo's hand and a smile from Hitomi, he moved forward. The guards didn't do anything, except move back into the forest. General Leers resolved to follow the new comers, to make sure they wouldn't assassinate the king. If the lead General trusted them it didn't mean he had to. 

Varie had woken up from her sleep while the conversation went on between Hitomi and Teo. Uryko felt some weight being lifted off his back. "Well did you have a nice beauty sleep, Sleeping Beauty?" Uryko said to Varie, smiling. 

Her hands let go of his neck and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Yeah. Sorry I did that." 

"Don't worry 'bout it. If you're tired I'm fine with you using my back for a bed."

"Thank you." Varie giggled. She looked up and her mother talking to a man. "Who's that?" Varie asked pointing. 

"I believe his name is Teo." 

"Oh…okay." Varie leaned back, quick as lightning she grabbed Uryko's shoulders. 

"You forgot you were off the ground, didn't you?"

"No!…Maybe…Mother!" Varie said loudly.

Hitomi turned around causing herself to become dizzy, again. The whole falling-from-the-sky-thing was never going to be easy. Regaining her senses Hitomi smiled. "Hold on a second 'kay." She directed toward Teo, who took pleasure in the knowledge that this young creature that just called Hitomi "Mother" was a secret Hitomi had confided in him; the secret that began their friendship. So many secrets from everyone, so many that dissolved the fellowship. "That's her child? A very beautiful, young thing, she is." Teo told himself as he noted the Fanel trademark smile the little girl flashed and the fiery sapphire eyes. Her hair was the one thing that surprised him, white wasn't the color he thought would be the result of the raven-haired king.

Hitomi glided over to Varie. "Hello, hello Momo!" 

Varie slid of Uryko's back and into Hitomi's arms. "I'm still sleepy." 

"I bet you are." 

"Hitomi, Allen is in a meeting. Though it should be over. It's been three hours. And if it's not over I'm sure he won't mind." Teo said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With Gaddes at his side, Allen leaned back in his chair listening to the Zar of Dimitria, Zar Abu Demitri, talk of how his country could use Asturia's alliance to spread their trade federation even further for three excruciating hours. Demitri was a kind old man, haggard, weathered and worn, yet his gray eyes held a fire that not even the Fanelian king could top. Wise and deliberate were his gestures. His hair was silver and thin, old. If Allen was tall, no if Dryden was tall then this man was a giant. The Zar stood a good two heads taller than Allen did, and even when sitting he towered over them. His page and guard, standing in the background, were almost as tall. 

Celena sat at the end of the small conference table, watching the window eyeing the vast blue skyscape before her. Many hours ago she 'overheard' the Generals talking about a blue column of light, How she hoped beyond hope that it was Hitomi. Celena was the only girl in the castle and she wasn't able to go anywhere with out Teo, her brother or Gaddes with her. She didn't mind those three. Her brother was her brother and she had a short relationship with Teo during the Dragon war. And Gaddes, well there was something to be said about him. 

Her fingers strayed to her slender neck, and played with the jade pendant that rested there; one of the few reminders of the person she once was. Long blonde locks fell about her face and down the small of her back and hidden behind thick bangs her eyes were soft, warm, and tired. She hadn't been to this castle in so long, it was three summers ago that she last came to this place, it had changed greatly. No longer was it Allen's Castle. No longer was it a place to relax, to vacation too. Now it acted as Head Quarters for the various soldiers around Asturia, and as a government out post. She could not count how many treaties had been signed her in this room. 

So many fond memories of the summer three years ago flew by. It had been the time of Celena's life; love had captured her heart. Making her fall in love with her brother's right-hand man. Not until two and a half years later did she confess. No one knew; it was their little secret, going behind Allen's back. Celena smiled lost in thought she remembered one time Allen had walked in on her and Gaddes kissing; the two had separated before Allen had time to notice anything wrong, though he did get a little antsy when he saw his sister that close to Gaddes. Since then he was always cautious, maybe even paranoid. There was something in the air when he walked in and it made him, for the first time in his life, uncomfortable about his sister's actions. Celena sighed, now it was time to tell Allen. It would be a great relief to Celena to stop hiding her love for the blue-haired Caeli knight. The only problem was… what if Allen refused for them to be together?

__

Oh! Why do I come to these unbearable meetings! Celena screamed inwardly. _I'm not the Queen. True, I am the king's sibling, but what does that make me? I'm not a princess, besides they already have Erelah to do that for them, along with their prince, Aldric. _

She took a deep breath. Her mind had zoned-out hours ago, and had no idea what was going on anymore. She heard the faint sound of friendly quarreling from the soldiers in the encampment. Without thinking Celena moved to the window and looked out at the soldiers. A group of Asturain Royal Guards appeared from the forest, along with two or maybe three travelers. _They actually found someone?! Amazing!_

The Zar stopped in the middle of the sentence and watched Celena. He resisted the urge to smile. No matter how much he kept telling himself that his daughter wasn't alive anymore, he couldn't help but feel that she was almost alive in Celena. If her hair was snowy white instead of straw blonde, and if her eyes were but a few shades darker she would be an exact replica, only twenty years older. 

Celena turned to return to her seat, and only when she looked up did she realize all eyes were on her. She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. "The guards found someone." She stated rapidly as she sat in her seat next to the head seat, occupied by her brother. 

Sighing again, inaudibly, she stole a furtive glance at the soldier across from her. _Gaddes. That's why I come. I come for him._ Her heart thumped unmercifully as Gaddes notice her and smiled warmly. Smiling back, Celena attempted to calm her ever beating heart, but to no avail. Again, her fingers played with the jade pendant. 

Gaddes's mood had a melancholy edge to it. He watched sadly as Celena played with her pendant. Oh! How much he had wanted to tell her of her past. However, Allen refused to let her know, thinking it was the best way to deal with it. Gaddes, trying to stay on Allen's good side for certain reasons, complied with his orders. 

Celena snapped out of her reverie as the men wrapped up their meeting.

"I thank you. My country thanks you, King Allen." Demitri said as he stood. 

"Asturia is glad to help anyone she can." Allen responded rising from his seat as well. The men bowed to each other. 

"Celena." Demitri bowed to her while she curtseyed in response. 

"Demitri." She smiled with respect as he turned to leave.

A knock came from the door and without an okay the door opened slightly. Teo peeked his head in. "Oh! I thought you were done. I'll come back later."

"No! We just finished. Come in, Teo." Allen said, while beckoning him to join them, grateful for the distraction. 

Teo walked in and stood by the door. Three people followed him in tow. "You have visitors."

Allen's eyes grew wider by each second. There standing in front of him was a beautiful young woman; wearing strange clothes and owner to two dazzling green-gold eyes hidden behind honey golden bangs. "Hitomi?" 

"I can't really look that different to you all. Can I?" 

Allen strode over to Hitomi, bowed and kissed her hand. "Lady Hitomi, it's been a long time." He stood towering over Hitomi by seven or eight inches.

"Too long, Allen."

"Hitomi this is Zar Abu Demitri, Zar of Dimitria."

"Hello. I'm Hitomi." Smiling she curtseyed as he bowed he grabbed her hand and kissed it. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you Seeress. For many years I had been waiting to see from a far but this…this is more than I had hoped for."

Hitomi blushed. "Thank you. This is my friend Uryko, and this," She patted Varie's head, "is Varie, my daughter."

Allen and Gaddes glanced at each other. Exchanging a whole conversation in seconds. This was Hitomi's daughter. It was so long ago when Hitomi fought with Allen about it. So long since she had confided in Teo and Gaddes, so long ago… Six years had certainly flown by. 

Demitri smiled, wide eyed, taken aback. The Seeress's daughter was an absolutely exact replica of his late daughter. "I once had a daughter that looked exactly like you." Demitri directed towards Varie. "Her name was Daemi. She was very beautiful, just like you." 

"Thank you, your Highness." Varie smiled her sweet little smile; her blue eyes glittered in the evening sun. 

"I must be off. Farewell Celena, Allen, Gaddes. I shall see you at the next conference. Farewell, Lady Hitomi, Uryko, and Varie" Demitri turned and headed toward the door.

"Farewell. Leers, since you're standing in the door way, escort the Zar to his leviship." Allen watched as Leers left with the Zar. Sighing, as soon as he knew they were gone, Allen sank into his chair, ready to fall asleep. 

"Hitomi, you have a daughter?" Celena squeaked meekly. 

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Author's Notes: I think my writing style changed as I wrote the fic. In some parts I think I went too fast and in others I went too slow. But I can't fix it. I don't want to fix it. I can't think of anything to write. So for a while I'll have a writer's block, but I'll try my best to get Part 3 up soon. I really hoped you liked it! If I have misspelled any of the original character names of the Escaflowne cast let me know, please. I'm pretty sure I didn't spell Asturia right. Thanx for reading and remember to review!!! ^_____________^ Raye-Rei 


	3. Tsuki no Hime: Part 3

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Author's Notes: Wow that was a long wait. Gomen! I had/have major writers block. Things are just not there in my head anymore. It's all mush!!!! Oh well. So if this chapter seems short than the others, that's because it is. If there are any misspellings of the character's names please let me know!!! Thanx to all of those who reviewed.

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Disclaimer: I don't Esca. I wish I did but I don't. WAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

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The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 3

Both moons shone bright in the night sky. The Mystic Moon was still the sparkling jewel it always was. Though, to Hitomi the Mystic Moon always was bright. She never knew how it was when she wasn't there. To her, this resplendent phenomenon was normal, but to the people of Gaea it meant something was going down. Somewhere on the planet, something that had to do with a woman from the Mystic Moon, was happening. 

Hitomi and Allen stood in serene silence over looking the vast clearing. Little giggles and playful screams could be heard from below. Hitomi looked after her young child with a watchful eye while Varie played with Celena, Gaddes, and Uryko down in the courtyard. 

Allen was the first to break the silence.

"Is she-"

"You know already." Hitomi responded knowing exactly what Allen was going to ask.

"But I thought she didn't-"

"She did. She's strong, determined, a true Draconian," Hitomi smiled, as she spoke a small laugh underlined her words. "You should see her fight." 

"She is very beautiful. She definitely takes after her glorious mother." 

"Thank you."

He paused as he watched Varie run around the courtyard, chased by Uryko. "You're not getting away with that you little Hobbit!" Uryko yelled as he ran after Varie—who expertly climbed up the nearest tree. She stuck her tongue out at him; he did the same to her. "You're sleeping up there if you can't get down!" 

"I can get down! I just don't want to!" Varie huffed. She looked at her mother and waved. "Uncle U'ko's being mean!"

"She started it! She hit me on the hand with her sword, when I was trying to teach her."

Hitomi merely laughed. "Uryko, you're an adult. You work it out." Hitomi and the others laughed as Varie and Uryko stuck their tongues out at each other. 

"On the count of three. One…" Varie squirmed, "two…" She squirmed even more. "Th—" before Uryko could finish Varie leaped out of the tree and ran behind Celena.

"I see Van in her as well," Allen started. "Her spirit, the fire starting to take shape in her eyes… She is definitely Van's child. She will make a great queen." 

A small grin appeared on Hitomi's lips. "Thank you." She said softly, as her cheeks flushed slightly. "Does he know?" Hitomi looked at Allen with soft eyes. She was always afraid that Van had found out about Varie when Hitomi was on earth. Nevertheless she had to know if Van knew, and if he did, how did he take it.

"Her hair it's not natural is it?" Allen said quickly, trying to change the subject. 

"Allen?"

"No, he doesn't know," Allen paused, "at least, to my knowledge."

Hitomi nodded. 

"So, her hair…has it always been that way?"

"No." Hitomi stated without hesitation. 

"Care to elaborate?" 

"Varie's hair was the blackest you could ever imagine. It was so beautiful, so iridescent, so much like Van's. Then three years ago she fell into a comma. No ones knows why. Varie was in that state for about a month and a half, during that time her hair gradually turned white." She took a breath, allowing Allen to soak in the information before she continued. "Though, now… It changes colors, depending on where she is. The light reflecting off the surfaces of her surroundings causes it. It can turn green or blue or what ever, but it happens on _very_ rare occasions." Hitomi clarified. "Eventually," She continued with her story, "Varie began to toss and turn. She woke up screaming 'Don't let them take me mother, please' over and over again." The pain in Hitomi's voice was palpable. 

Allen inhaled. Taking in all the comforting air he could. "What was she talking about when she woke?" 

"I don't know. She says she doesn't remember much…um…a cat's eyes, green scaly skin. I'm sure she just blocked it from her memory." She looked at Allen as if trying to explain something. "You know when something traumatic happens to a person, and they block it out? They know nothing of it until something, just one thing, jogs their memory and they go insane. Do you understand?"

There was a short deadly silence between the two, while they looked into each other's eyes. Allen nodded and Hitomi turned back to the courtyard. 

"Okay, Varie!" Uryko's voice resonated between short gasps. "Okay, okay, okay! Uncle! I give up. I give up!"

Allen looked over the rail to find Uryko "pinned" to the ground by Varie who was unmercifully tickling Uryko. Gaddes walked up to the two on the ground. When he got there he picked Varie and threw her over his shoulder. Small protests were heard from the girl, along with the occasional 'I can't breathe'. Gaddes dropped Varie on a pile hay next to Celena, who immediately tickled Varie. 

Leaning on the railing of the balcony Hitomi mustered up her courage to say the one thing she had been waiting to say to Allen for six years. She took a deep breath and spoke over Varie's laughter. "I-I'm sorry Allen…"

"For what?" The little gray cells in Allen's brain had been working over time the whole day. His brain had turned to mush, but he still searched his softball-sized database to find out the reason Hitomi said what she had said. 

Could he really have gotten over it? It had been six years he probably had forgotten all about it by now. Again Hitomi resolved to trigger Allen's memory.

"When I left Gaea. I was a jerk, an ass hole, a bitch and I am greatly sorry. I just wanted to be alone with Van no one would leave us be and-and the secret. I shouldn't have been so…you were so concerned about my life…I couldn't take it…" Her voice trailed off, once again inviting the silence.

Finally Allen's little gray cells found what they were looking for. He remembered everything that he and Hitomi had fought about. The secrets, so many secrets. Everyone was hiding something. Then as if he had just betrayed his best friend guilt and regret swarmed through him. 

"Shh…Don't worry about it Hitomi. It's all history now." He reached out a comforting arm and placed it on her far shoulder. Slowly he pulled her toward him. 

Hitomi didn't protest. Next to Van and Uryko, Allen was the only person that could make some of her pain go away. Allen allowed Hitomi into his embrace. Though, unlike he thought she would do, Hitomi didn't cry. She just returned his hug and continued staring at the Mystic Moon. Eventually Hitomi pulled away to look at Allen expecting to see his mask of no emotion covering his face, but she could see the pain in his eyes, she could feel the guilt. She was the one supposed to feel guilty, not him. Allen's eyes were vivid, deep, and vibrant blue revealing all sincerity.

"So…How have you been?" She asked pulling away completely and leaning on the railing.

Allen was a little grateful for the change of subject. "Great. I'm a father of twins, Aldric an Erelah." His smile was genuinely happy. 

"How old?" 

"They are almost seven summers."

"They're as old as Varie." Hitomi paused; what about Allen's other son? "Have you told Chid yet? You know that-"

"Yes," Scrunching his face, Allen continued. "It didn't go…as well as I had planed. He didn't speak to me for a year…or two..."

"Oh, Allen! I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it worked out in the end. He comes to Palas a few weeks out of the year. He should be there now." 

"I'm glad it worked out." Hitomi smiled again.

"Me too."

Other silence came. Faint conversations between the three adults could be heard from below. Varie would chime in every once and a while with a very loud response or detail to add.

A thought zipped through Hitomi's mind. Where had Allen's men gone? She could still see a few, ten at the most, walking around, but ten out a fifty is a small number. "Allen where are all your men?" 

Allen sighed, "We've disbanded." Hitomi nodded understandingly. "When they realized peace was a lasting thing and that I would stay king they left. Some have become Caeli Knights, others have married, had children, reunited with family. We meet every once in a while." 

"As long as you keep in touch."

"Yeah."

"What about the others? Dryden…Milerna…?"

"They are living up north, now. They run a clinic. They are experts at juggling their work. I dare say that they are better at business than anyone I know."

"Every one seems to have moved on quite a bit since I left."

"Six years can change a person, Hitomi. A lot happens in six years." Hitomi nodded again. There was another silence. This time it was comforting and friendly. 

"Allen-" 

"I know. We will leave for Palas tomorrow morning and hopefully get there by the late afternoon."

"Thank you, Allen. But, why Palas? Shouldn't we go to Fanelia?" 

"No we shouldn't, because Van wouldn't be there." Hitomi looked at him with confused eyes. He could tell she was trying to read what he was saying but he had known he stumped her. He, Allen Shezar, had stumped the _Seeress_ Hitomi. "Van is in Palas." He stated as he left the balcony. Hitomi followed him inside. 

"I knew that…" Allen chuckled. "What?" Allen merrily chuckled again. "I better go put Varie to bed. Good night Allen." She hugged Allen and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So tell me, what's your story? How do you know Hitomi?" Gaddes asked as he sat next to Celena. Uryko had been tackled a third time by Varie and had flipped her over. 

"Let me go!" Varie squirmed in Uryko's grasp. His hands had pinned the girl's arms together, enabling the girl to move. 

"Nope." Uryko looked up at Gaddes and Celena. "I've know Hitomi since she was born. We were neighbors up until I was twelve. I moved away and then six years later moved back. We ended up going to the same high school, but we weren't as close as we were when we were kids. I was a senior and she was a sophomore. 

"Then she disappeared for a month or so. Turned out she had come here. When she came back I asked her to tell me why she had disappeared, but she hadn't even told Yukari. If she didn't tell her best friend, why would she tell me? Even so we slowly became closer. 

"Amano left for England after high school, Hitomi's brother disappeared, her parents died and all she had left was me and Yukari. I let her move in and we—Hitomi, me, my late wife, and Yukari—started a center called Tatsu Dojo. It was to be a safe haven for those with special abilities, like Hitomi and me.

"Yukari, Miko—my late wife—and I took the kids at the center to a retreat and I guess Hitomi went to Gaea again. She came back a day after we returned and was pregnant and married. She refused to tell us what happened for a while, but after our persistent peer-pressure she gave in and told us all about Gaea and wrote two books. It was safe to say we thought she had lost it, but we didn't want her to go to a shrink, her mother had made her go to one after her first disappearance and completely despised shrinks.

"Anyway, we didn't think much of it until we saw Varie's wings. That told us that Hitomi wasn't insane. It was hard to believe, but in the end we did. I know I believe even more now. Poor Yukari, I hope she didn't go into labor, no one is at the center that can drive legally." 

Uryko stopped talking just as fast as he began. Gaddes and Celena glanced at each other and back at Uryko. "Question," Uryko nodded. "What's a 'shrink'?"

"Yeah, and what's a 'senior' and a 'sophomore'?" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the throne room Van and Eries were in a heated discussion about the scandalous rebels that were bent on destroying the peace that had lasted for years, even if it was the last thing they did. 

"I am greatly sorry Van but there is absolutely nothing I can do. They are no longer in Asturia. In fact I have no idea where they are at this moment. So all we can do right now it wait for them to attack. But you must be ready." Eries said trying convince Van that there was nothing she could do. 

Van opened his mouth to speak. 

"I know what you're going to say. And that will not work. If they are hiding out in Dimitria, we can't just charge into a new ally's country without hard evidence. That wouldn't do us any good, Van. Let's just drop it for now and think of another way to work this out when Allen comes home. We've been debating for days now, Allen might have an idea that works for both you and me."

The door to the counsel room opened and young servant not much older than seventeen walked in announcing Allen.

"Speak of the devil." Van murmured under his breath. Unfortunately it was loud enough for Eries to hear. Van had expected her to glare at him for such a remark and in such a tone, but she didn't. In fact she smiled. For the first time since Allen had left Asturia a month ago Eries actually smiled, not because Allen was home but because of Van's childish remark. 

When Allen entered the room he walked straight over to Eries and gave her an 'I've-missed-you-so-much-and-I-hope-you-missed-me-too' kiss. 

As they did so Van averted his eyes toward the giant bay window over looking the vast city of Palas and the even more-vast ocean. It glittered in the afternoon sun, like a sapphire jewel. Van thought of how lucky they were to have this wonderful resource and how unlucky they were when the seasonal winds came, causing the streets to flood and half the Asturian people to move to other parts of the huge country.

When Eries and Allen parted. Van turned back to them contemplating if he should say something like 'I best be going now' or 'I'll leave you two love birds to go on with your lovey-dovey mushy stuff' however he refrained the second remark and decided to go with the first one.

"I best b-" He stopped when he saw Eries's eyes grow wide with disbelief. Van—who was extremely befuddled at why Eries was staring at him in such a way—slowly turned, wondering if it was really him that she was so astounded by. 

Van turned towards the doorway. A small figure of a woman, who couldn't possibly be older than him, stood ghost like in the shadows. Her green and gold swirling eyes glittered and her straw colored hair shined as she stepped into the light, her skirts rustling as she did so. 

As Eries had done, Van couldn't do anything but stare. Slowly he regained what ever it was he had. Be it grace, leadership, pride, he regained it. However, he still wasn't able to triumph over his shock.

He managed to squeak out a small but audible "Hitomi?"

The figure nodded and smiled.

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Author's Notes: Hey I hoped you liked it. Please review! And if you liked this story go read my other stories as well! ~Raye-Rei~


	4. Tsuki no Hime: Part 4

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Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait. I won't ramble,….. Actually, I will! ^_^ Long wait, yeah I know, I just haven't had time to type the other parts yet, school started and all, ya know. And I haven't had much motivation. Though, I do have the other parts on paper, hopefully, soon, I'll get the next part up. So here's the story! Thanx for the wonderful reviews! I just love 'em!! There is a new section in this part! I won't tell you where it is! You just have to read okay!

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Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne 

==============================================================================================The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 4 ==============================================================================================

Young and vibrant, the twiterpatted couple strolled introspectively throughout the castle gardens, respectfully staying on the path that wound through a small forest. Everywhere the young couple looked flowers and vines grew uncontrollably on and between the small trees. The branches if the trees intertwined with the branches of other trees, creating a colorful arbor. Small ponds dotted the gardens and water lily type plants covered the ponds, creating shelters for the small fish. Each different aspect of these gardens, the flowers, trees, ponds, vines, had their own luminous glow, it's own ray of life. 

Much like the branches above them their fingers were intertwined softly. Hitomi moved to the far side of the path, pulling Van with her. She bent down, running her fingers over the soft, gossamer petals of a dark blue almost black flower with the filaments an extravagant red. Where ever her fingers touched the colors changed, looking much like a mood ring. The colors continued to swirl on the petal as Hitomi looked up to Van inquisitively. Before she could word a sentence, Van spoke. 

"They are called 'Flowers of the Mystic Moon.' They are native to Fanelia. I gave these to Eries as a peace offer in honor of our alliance." 

"Simply amazing." Hitomi remarked as she studied the flower again. It was a vine, growing in between two massive trees. The vines of the flower snaked up the trunks and wound about the inseparable branches. So unique, so original, with such unprecedented beauty, as if they were the flowers of the Gods. These flowers gave off an essence of hope, and essence of peace and eternal love. It was as if the trees were showing off their love for one another. It reminded Hitomi of her and Van, though, they hadn't said it since they had parted, love was still felt between the two. Both knew they needn't express their feelings to know how the other felt. The gardens convinced Hitomi that Varie would have a good life here. 

Varie. 

Hitomi still hadn't told Van. _I should tell him. I will tell him. Not now though…not now. We just barely reunited. I need some peace before my life goes down hill. _Hitomi thought reluctantly. Another voice in the back of her mind whispered to her. _What makes you think that he'll accept her?……Because, he loves me……How do you know that he loves you? ……I just DO! He'll accept Varie. He'll know……You might want to tell him before its too late. _Hitomi shook her head slightly. 

"Hitomi, are you all right?" Van asked with concerned eyes.

"I… still have a headache from the rough ride to Gaea." 

"Really? Usually it doesn't bother you." He pulled her closer to him. "You've become weak!" They laughed and continued on their walk.

Hitomi disregarded her thoughts and resolved to focus on the here and now, Van. Her skirts rustled chronically with each step. Slowly, Hitomi placed her head on Van's shoulder and ran her right hand up and down his biceps. Trusting him, she closed her eyes and listened to the rhythm of their footfalls, keeping in perfect time with his. 

He was so warm, so strong. Hitomi was always cold if she wasn't with him. Ever since she could remember her hands were like ice. When she met Van those ten years ago she realized that her hands, heart, and body had a certain fire to them. The cold evaporated. But when she had gone back to Earth, the ice found her again. It had almost killed her, but like a Godsend she returned to Gaea, returned to Van. The same fire blazed between them, as their relationship grew strong. However, Hitomi's secret had angered certain people and Hitomi left with many loose ends. She thought that the coldness would come to her again, but it didn't. Varie had given her a reason to live, a reason to feel and survive. Hitomi couldn't think how life without Van or Varie would be like. Probably much worse then it had before. Only, she mustn't think of that now, not now. She was with Van and that's all that mattered at the moment. 

Hitomi continued to run her fingers up and down his biceps. His skin rippled ever so slightly at her soft touch. So strong. Van seemed more built, and taller. Could he be taller? Or was Hitomi shrinking? 

"You're stronger than when I last saw you, and possibly taller."

"You could have shrunk." Van said smirking.

"That's possible." Hitomi said smiling, her long fingers continued to run up and down his arm. 

The pace faltered. Opening her eyes, Hitomi looked at Van. His face was turned toward one of the garden pools. The small fish swam freely about. 

"What's wrong?"

"When are you going back?" Van's eyes reflected sorrow. He had let his barriers fall, which was so unlike him.

"Back where?"

"Home." He avoided her eyes. The fish in the pond had become so amazing; it was hard to take his eyes off them. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the worst. A small lithe hand brushed his far cheek and guided his eyes to hers. 

Smiling softly Hitomi studied him; his eyes were darker. They reminded her of a dark chocolate raspberry truffle, dark brown with tints of red. His skin was tan and on his chin were small stubby facial hairs, showing that his adolescent days had passed. 

"When the Mystic Moon calls me." 

"It kills me, Hitomi, knowing that you'll have to leave my side again. Knowing that I won't see your face, and not being able to look into your eyes. It kills me. I don't…" he hesitated, " I don't want you to go back." he had whispered so softly, as if he was confessing a sin. 

"I know." She closed her eyes, gathering up her courage, _"I need to tell him."_ taking a deep breath she began, "Van, there's something I need to-" before she could finish her sentence Van had brushed his lips against hers. 

Stunned, Hitomi, just stood there. It took her a few moments before she realized what was going on. _"He's kissing me!!!"_

Within seconds Hitomi had melted in his arms and was kissing him back. A visible rush of power surged between them, intoxicating them with their own want and lust. 

Hitomi tried to pull away for air but Van kept her there. _"I can't loose this kiss! Not after I've been waiting six, count 'em, SIX years!"_ Snaking his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and deepening the kiss.

Hitomi did more than he had expected. Breathing into the kiss, she pressed her body against his and wrapped her arms around his neck, hoisting herself on her toes to be as level with him as possible. Van became braver and pushed, demanded for more, vowing to never let her go.

Lost.

They were lost. Lost and drunk in their love. All that mattered at the moment was them. The power that swam around them became brighter and bigger with every second. But before it could continue growing, something caused it to evanesce so quickly; it was like lightening.

It had rung out loud and clear: the clearing of the throat.

Van attempted to pull away from Hitomi, but she wouldn't let him. She held on strong and hard. Slowly and painfully she pulled away, slightly seducing Van. Making him want her, making him yearn for her. When she was a good distance away, her emerald orbs opened, gazing into deep dark chocolate eyes. After a few seconds her line of sight turned sideways to the man who had interrupted them. 

Allen. Of course, it was Allen. It was ALWAYS Allen. Why wasn't she surprised? _People on Gaea have really bad timing. Allen, Van, Merle…_ Hitomi thought as she continued to look Allen. Only then did she realize that Allen wasn't the only one there. Uryko, Gaddes, and Chid were there too. Though blushing slightly, Hitomi still kept her confidence. She looked to Van, who was now blushing drastically, his breath flowing down her neck. Lifting up her head she kissed the corner of his lips. Again, making him want her. She mouthed the word "Later" and turned to Allen. "Yes?" she said smirking slightly, knowing that she had made the other four men (yes, even the six-teen year old Chid) jealous of Van.

The others starred in awe—especially Uryko—at Van and Hitomi. Allen was the only man who was composed. And being the only one able to speak (for the others all had their mouths hung open) said that dinner was in five minutes. And that they should better head inside. 

Hitomi nodded and took Van's hand, intertwining her fingers with his, except… it didn't last long. After they had started walking, something that Hitomi had neglected to tell Van, something that had been the light of her life, ran up to Hitomi and yelled with complete and utter joy, "Mother!"

Hitomi let loose her occupied hand, kneeled down, and reached out to the little girl. "Hey, sweetie!" she cooed softly as the child ran into her arms. Hitomi picked her up and kept her there by propping Varie onto her hip. Those who had not known about this, Van and Chid, stood wide eyed and wide mouthed as the little girl began to jabber away about her adventures around the castle. 

Had Van lost it? Was he going insane and seeing things? He had lost it. This little girl had called Hitomi 'Mother'. _Does she love someone else? Did she give up waiting? Could it be…MINE? _Van thought. 

Though Chid had recovered momentarily Van was still in shock. 

The little girl paused and looked at Van. She pointed her finger at him and asked innocently, "Mother, who's he?" 

Hitomi smiled softly, blushing from uneasiness, she replied. "He, Varie, is Lord Van King of Fanelia and… your father."

Varie looked between Hitomi and Van, when she looked at Van for the second time, she paused. A smile played across her lips. "Hello, Father!" she waved a hand at Van, his eyes still wide.

Now, Van was unable to move his hand to wave back or to piece together a sentence. He just stared. 

Varie turned to Hitomi. "Mother is he 'special'?" She whispered.

Another smile came from Hitomi and this time it hid laughter. "No, he-he is just in shock… I hope… Van?"

His eyelids closed slowly, scratching his eyes. He continued to leave them closed. _Its all a dream…yeah that's it…a dream!_ Slowly he opened his eyes hoping that it was a dream, however, much to his dismay, the child was still in Hitomi's arms. Dumbly, Van pointed a finger at Varie then at him, while looking at Hitomi. "M-mine?" he choked out. Memories from years ago flashed through his mind: that night, the rain, the old hideout, her confession of love... It was all too clear now. Was it true? It must be. Van knew that Hitomi would never be unfaithful. And now after six long years Van realized for the first time that he was a father. 

Father. 

It was such a foreign word to him. That was a word that Van thought no one would call him by. But now everything changed. He had an heir, a family. He resolved to not speak a word, in fear he may say something he'd regret. _I'm a…father?!_

"Van?" Hitomi asked quietly with a strong hint of concern. Of course she was concerned! The love of her life had gone from a nice, dark, sexy tan to a chalky, ghostly white, paled face in a matter of seconds. At that moment Hitomi immediately regretted what she had said. If only she had the power to go back in time and rearrange her sentence! Unfortunately she did not, so she must live with the consequences. "Are you alright?"

__

That's a stupid question! Of course he's not all right! He just found out he's a father. I'm such an idiot! I-D-I-O-T! Hitomi mentally slapped herself.

"Mother, look what Gaddes taught me!" Varie said while jumping out of her mother's arms and breaking the uneasiness of the situation.

"Alright, Varie." Hitomi said hesitantly removing her eyes off of Van and onto Varie.

__

Her name is Varie? That's my mother's name…Hitomi named her after my mother? Van thought staring at Hitomi. _Did she know before she left Gaea?_

Varie reached into her dress pocket and revealed a dagger. She unsheathed it without any trouble. The sliver metal glittered in the evening sun. 

Hitomi slightly cocked her head to the side. What was Varie doing?

Varie grabbed the cold steel with her right hand, dull side out. "I'm going to hit that tree over there." She stated pointing to a tree roughly seven yards away. "Right on the piece of red bark." In one fluid motion her arm reeled back, and flew forward with an extraordinary follow through. The dagger separated itself from Varie and soared blade over hilt until it hit the tree; landing smack dab in the middle of the piece of red bark. 

Gaddes let out a holler of enjoyment. Varie smiled widely, proud of her accomplishment. The others stood in wonderment at her. This little SIX-year-old threw a dagger more than twenty-one feet and hit her mark. When it had taken them years to learn that kind of expertise it had taken her only a few hours. 

"I knew you could do it, 'Ri!!"* Gaddes said as Varie turned to the group.

"Thanks, Gaddes!" turning to her mother she asked, "Was I good, Mother? Was I?"

"You did an excellent job, sweetie" Hitomi replied giving Varie a nice warm gaze. She then turned to Gaddes and her gaze slowly hardened to an ice-cold, death glare. She kept from smiling as she saw Gaddes squirm. 

"It's The Look! Duck!" Allen said turning his face away along with Uryko. They understood The Look all too well.

Chid, who knew what was going to happen next, spoke up. "Varie, right?" Varie nodded. "Come with me and let's go find Aldric and Erial. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet someone their own age." 

"Alright." She said, "Can I, Mother?" 

"Sure." 

Varie smiled as she ran to Chid. They joined hands as Chid led Varie away from the group. He was glad he was missing Hitomi's wrath, but disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see Gaddes wither under her glare.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Run!" Uryko whispered to the petrified Gaddes. "Run, run, run, run! Run for your life!"

"URYKO!" Hitomi snapped. 

"Yes, all mighty and powerful Seeress!" Uryko said bowing sarcastically, and then he spoke quietly to Gaddes, "One who can beat a man to a bloody pulp."

"Shut-up." 

"Yes, ma'am." Uryko answered, immediately looking at the ground and coward into the castle wall. 

"And, you!" Hitomi hissed pointing at Gaddes. Allen and Uryko slowly moved away from Gaddes as to not get caught in the crossfire. "What makes you think that you can teach Varie, MY DAUGHTER, something like that!?!?! She could hurt herself!"

Gaddes merely coward, pointing to Uryko. His mouth moved up and down slightly attempting to piece together a reasonable sentence. "H-he t-t-told me th… that… um…" 

"What?" she asked forcefully, her eyes full of anger and protection.

"Um… He said that she has combat training… With swords and knives. And that she didn't know how to throw a dagger. So I…." Gaddes paused, swallowing hard. "I taught her…. Yeah."

Smirking slightly, Hitomi moved over to the tree, ripped the dagger off unmercifully, placed it blade in hand, and with one swift throw the dagger soared. Blade over hilt: the metal gleaming in the light. 

There wasn't much time to think. As the blade pummeled toward Uryko, he only had enough time to dodge to the right. There was a loud clink as the metal pierced through the castle mortar. 

It took a few moments for Uryko to comprehend what had happened. When he realized that his best friend had almost killed him, his eyes widened, almost popping out of his head. "Are you insane!" Uryko shrieked. "You could have killed me!"

"I could have killed you many times, but both you and I know that you're a better dagger's man than I am. I knew you'd dodge it." Hitomi smiled innocently as the men just stared stupefied.

After giving a hard glare to Gaddes and Uryko, Hitomi left. Gaddes turned to Uryko and spoke. "It looks as if you're the one who should've run."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dinner came without anything interesting. It was mainly catching up on the past six years. Allen and Eries had married five years ago after realizing that they truly loved one another. They had two children, twins to be exact, named Aldric and Erial. The prophet pointed to Erial, the girl, to gain the throne after Allen and Eries past on. Which made Eries ecstatic because for the first time in centuries a woman would gain the throne, and keep it, before she was to be married. 

Most of Allen's men of the Crusade were now either in the army, high-ranking positions or married. 

Chid was in Asturia for legal reasons and to see his family, whom he hadn't seen in years. Fried's trade businesses shot up after the Dragon War, making it a world power. With the mix of refugees and natives Fried held a sundry of cultures. 

Hitomi told her life of the past six years, as did Uryko. 

The king of Fanelia was the only one who didn't speak a word at dinner. The food that was placed in front of him hadn't been touched. When dinner had finished he showed Uryko, Hitomi, and Varie their rooms. Hitomi's was right next to his, and Varie's was next to Hitomi's, followed by Uryko's room. 

When Varie was ready for bed, she asked for Van to come and say goodnight. Hitomi sang to her. She sang! Never in Van's whole life did he think that she could sing! The song she sang seemed to have a special meaning to Hitomi. Her voice was amazing, extraordinary, heavenly. The only part Van could remember of the song was "…Black bird singing in the dead of night, take these sunken eyes and learn to see, all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free…" That part had stuck with him, reminding himself of… himself.

Varie had hugged him. Even so, he still couldn't believe it, that she was HIS daughter. The thing that amazed him the most was that she was and exact replica, what he could remember, of his mother, save for the sapphire eyes and her snowy-white hair. There was this regal presence about her, something just emanated Draconian blood. 

He went to bed after merely kissing Hitomi on her forehead. No words were said, and he knew that he gave off the wrong impression. He was glad, really. No, really. He was happy that he now had a family. And he was glad it was with Hitomi and not any one else. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Slowly the eyelids of the king closed, scratching his eyes. Ah… sleep! Something that he hadn't experienced since he came to Asturia. It was meeting this, and royal that, bandits grrrrr and allies bleh! He was to return home within the next week. "_Home! How I can't wait to be home!"_

Sleep surrounded him, drowning him. Van was standing on the edge of a never-ending abyss. In the pool of darkness he saw something… No, someone! A person—no not a person, a symbol of pure evil—that he least expected to see. Hatred boiled within. IT was dead! That's what they had said. Why would Van have this dream if… IT… was dead? That fire-red eyed albino devil! Good riddance. 

"Dilandou!" Van growled. 

The picture burned, flames reflecting in both the eyes of Van and Dilandou. Before the picture faded the symbol of pure evil seemed all too real. 

It was gone, all gone and not making any sense!

His warrior instincts kicked in. someone was watching him. Cautiously he opened his eyes. The two moons glowed with their never-ending magic, and a lithe figure stood in shadow.

"I couldn't sleep," It said slowly.

"Right," Van propped himself on his elbow. "You can come in."

The figure moved to the opposite side of the bed, her back facing the moons and Van. Even from this far away she could feel his heat. How she wished to drown in it. But now wasn't the time, not with Varie here in the same castle. The bed creaked as Van moved closer to her. With every inch swallowed up, an antagonizing pain rushed over her. Oh, how she long to be in his arms with his touch, his kiss! 

When he had reached her, his hand hovered over her body, flowing down from her shoulder down to her hip. How he wished that he could touch her! His heart said, "YES!" while his mind screamed "NO!" He gave into his heart. He pulled her closer, making her conform to his body, back to chest. His arm ran down hers tying their fingers together, palm to back of hand. He brought it in so it rested on the pillow. He was amazed that Hitomi didn't resist to his movements. Leaning forward he kissed her neck below the back of her jaw. "I don't regret it, Hitomi." He said softly. 

"I know," she said, nearly inaudible. 

"I love you. And I'm glad that we have a daughter."

Hitomi remained silent as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I… I…" she paused, believing that what she was about to say was a sin and that the gods would make her life a living Hell, but with Van, she was safe. "I don't want… to go back." She turned to him; leaning over, she brushed his lips. The salt tears flowing faster each second. 

Van's unoccupied hand slithered to the back of her neck pulling her in. They kissed passionately in bliss, until Hitomi pulled away. Her tears fell faster. Van pulled her in, resting her head on his bare chest, letting her know that she was safe tonight, and that it would be alright, maybe not soon, but it would. The tears slowed and sleep peacefully claimed them both.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lying on the nice, cool grass, head propped up by a stone bench, Celena sighed. Her eyes left the balcony where Hitomi had disappeared. _I don't want to go back…_Celena silently recalled Hitomi's conversation with Van. It wasn't her fault Celena heard; she just had really, really good ears. Allen said she was born with a gift, but she thought it was a talent from her hidden past. Which, Allen refused to speak of. 

She already knew, though. No one had told her, it was a sixth sense of some sort. Her dreams would relay his life story in chaos. That's how HE seemed to Celena. Though he seemed calm and collective, HE was nothing but chaos. Dilandou was nothing but chaos. The only thing that made sense to Celena was his relationship with his Dragon Slayers. There were five, in all, during the Great War and all five died. He had two others who were with him throughout his life, Ezree and Kalte. Ezree was the only woman and had strong ties with Dilandou. During the dreams that included Ezree, Celena couldn't help but feel that Dilandou had loved Ezree. Kalte was a like brother to him, but died suddenly before Dilandou was sent into his first battle for the Great War. Causing Dilandou to become harsh and deadly. It was hard for Celena to believe this man felt for others, loved others. 

Again, Celena stole a glance at the balcony. Nothing. No sound, or movement. 

How she envied them, Van and Hitomi; envied their never-ending love. It surprised her that they had remained loyal to each other after all these years. Especially with the long breaks, years in length. Did she have that with Gaddes? Was he the one who she would spend the rest of her life with? Or was her relationship with Gaddes just a fling? She did love Gaddes, but how much? Would she go to the ends of the world for him? Possibly, if given the chance.

"Celena?"

Sitting up, Celena looked behind her. "Gaddes? What're you doing out here so late?"

Gaddes chuckled, "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Celena turned back to the night horizon. "I was looking at the stars."

"So," Gaddes smiled slyly as he moved toward her, "you weren't eavesdropping on Van and Hitomi, now were you?"

"No!" Celena countered with feigned indignation. "I just happened to see Hitomi walk into Van's room. I just happened to hear their conversation…"

"You are truly evil." Gaddes joked, then within seconds he regretted it.

She smirked, "I know. I do have really good eyes and ears, too." She paused eyeing him. His midnight blue locks fell over his wonderful blue* orbs. He was buff. Not so buff that every time he flexed his shirt would rip, but just enough. His trusted samurai sword was at his side. "I don't suppose you weren't eavesdropping on them either?"

His figure became ridged. "No, as a matter of fact, I was eavesdropping on you." Celena snorted, turning back to the stars. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Yes" she stated plainly, but Gaddes knew better. 

"Tough, I'm sitting anyway."

Celena smiled, as he sat down nest to her. Those crystal blue orbs of hers glittered in the moonlight. To Gaddes, she was the perfect being, an angel. "I would have made you sit with me anyway." Celena responded light-heartedly.

A calming silence fell between the two. Gaddes moved his arm, wrapping Celena in his warmth. She scooted closer to him, closing her eyes peacefully. This moment seemed to last forever, something that Celena wanted. No outside problems. No Allen. 

"What's your favorite constellation?" Celena asked moving closer to Gaddes, as a small breeze blew by. 

"Me?" 

"No, I was talking to my invisible friend, Anthony."

"Okay, so what is his favorite constellation?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Gaddes eye reflected the moons and stars. He smiled softly as he pulled Celena even closer. "Orrorin and Lyra."

"And why is that, Anthony?" Celena smiled again.

"Because his mother told him the story of Orrorin and Lyra every night before he went to bed."

"Let me guess, it's all blood and gore?" She adjusted her head and placed it on the crook of his neck. Taking a deep breath, the scent of autumn and cinnamon whirled around her. 

"Nope."

"Wow! I'm impressed!" Celena looked up at Gaddes, "Tell me the story."

"Alright," Gaddes paused as if to gather his thoughts, "Orrorin was a knight."

Celena snorted, "Typical…"

"Excuse me, who's telling the story?"

"Anthony!" she replied smiling widely, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Gaddes rolled his eyes, "He had short black and blue hair, and blue eyes—I'm adding details 'cause I know you'll yell at me if I don't—" Celena smiled again, Gaddes knew her too well. "He fell in love with a beautiful goddess of Heaven named Lyra. She was the most perfect woman he had ever seen. She had blonde hair, long and thick, and sparkling blue eyes. She loved him too. Their love was forbidden, but they defied the laws to be together. Hexas, Lyra's courtier, god of the Under World, attempted to kill Orrorin, but before he could, Lyra placed Orrorin in the Heavens, where no one could get to him but her. In doing so Orrorin became a god, the god of Battle. 

"Again, Hexas attempted to destroy Orrorin, but killed Lyra instead. In one last chance to save her Orrorin used the last of his power and placed her next to him in the sky, where they could be free to love one another. There, they watch over the young lovers of Gaea with a forbidden love, making sure that their love will out last all obstacles. Much like Hitomi and Van."

"Much like…" Celena started, then decided against it. 

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Finish your sentence."

"No, it's just nonsense." Celena responded quickly attempting to change the subject. She failed. 

"Really?" Gaddes' eye brow arched up. He looked down at her, with the mischievous glint in his deep blue orbs. 

Celena looked up at him, "Gaddes…" she spoke with a nervous tone. 

Gaddes moved closer to her as she tried to move back crab-like across the grass. Gaddes' arms snaked out, fingers outstretched. When he was close enough, he tickled her sides. He smiled evilly as he watched her face turn red from laughter.

"Gaddes… Stop!" She choked out between giggles. "I… can't… breathe."

"Tell me what you said!"

"No!"

"Okay…" He tickled her even more. Celena's laughter was music to his ears. Her sent of wild flowers intoxicated him. Tonight was the first time they had been alone since they had left to go to the country castle. They weren't able to have time alone for months. This was perfect to Gaddes; just being with her was enough for him. By the time Gaddes to tired to tickle any longer he was on top of her staring into her ocean blue eyes. 

"Fine," she spoke softly. Gaddes was inching nearer and nearer to her. "Much like… us." She managed to say before Gaddes spoke.

"Marry me, Celena." He whispered as he closed the gap between them, barely registering hr words. As his lips brushed hers, Celena immediately excepted. Barely audible, a light moan escaped her vocal cords. Gaddes saw it as a sign to continue, but when he tried to Celena pulled away, confusing him greatly.

"We can't," 

Gaddes sat up perplexed. "What?!"

"Oh! I mean yes. I will marry you." Gaddes smiled widely. "But…"

"There's a 'but'?" His smile fell with in seconds.

"You have to ask Allen first, for my hand in marriage." She sat up as Gaddes sighed deeply. "You also have to tell him that we have been together behind his back."

"You're right. Wait… You said 'you.' Why not 'we'?" 

Celena stood up and walked over Gaddes. Kissing his head, she replied, "You can fight back." A worried looked flashed across Gaddes' face. "Don't worry, love. You match my brother's skills in fighting one to… ten. I'm… sure… that you'll be all right. If you need moral support, I'll be there… in spirit."

"Please be there." Gaddes pleaded while on his knees and hold her hand softly. He crawled on his knees following her. 

"Sure. But you're still doing the talking. Good night!" Celena kissed his forehead, reclaimed her hand, and glided away. 

"Good night." Gaddes called after her. His head hung in utter dismay. Allen was fiercely protective when it came to Celena. Maybe, since Gaddes was his best friend he would be happy? All of Gaddes hopes and dream slowly shattered as he tried to work out what he would say to Allen. 

Time passed by quickly as he sat there starring at the stars, mainly the constellation Orrorin and Lyra. A scream from a distance away flew to his ears. It came from where Celena had disappeared. In a flash Gaddes was on his feet and his sword drawn. When he turned the corner Celena was nowhere to be seen. Figures flew across the moons, away from the castle, three total. _Dragons…?!_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hitomi sat up leaving the safety and warmth of Van's embrace, her eyes searching the darkness. Turning to the moons she noticed something was different about them. Something wasn't right. 

Van stirred next to her. Propping himself on his elbow, he rose. "What's wrong?"

"Varie." 

****

Author's Notes: Hope y'all (lol) liked this chappy! If you did, you must…*cough*… REVIEW! Please. Oh! And if you want me to contact you with updates please let me know. 

*Ri is Gaddes' nickname for Varie.

*I'm taking a guess on his eyes. If I'm wrong please let me know. ^____^;;


	5. Tsuki no Hime: Part 5

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Author's notes: I think it's time I give thanx to all my wonderful reviewers! Thanx so much!!! Thanx for supporting me through this fic. ^_________^ 

Anywayz… Here's part 5. Yeah, I know long wait… tough beans! I know some parts are confusing and that some parts go too fast so let me know where it happens and I'll try to explain it to ya!!! Oki doki! Here's part 5!!

****

Disclaimer: If I owned Escaflowne there would already be another season. 

The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 5

"Celena, Celena, Celena," Gaddes chanted over and over in his mind. "No, no, no. Please be there!" He turned a corner and ran some more. "Oh God! Please let her be there." He reached a door and knocked a few times. No answer. Gaddes's fears escaped his mind and began to swallow him whole. She hadn't made it to her room. Did she scream? Was it her? What the Hell happened? He swung the door open; no one was there. The bed hadn't been touched and Celena's nightgown still rested across the foot of the bed. "Shit!" he hissed and ran out of the room. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A muffled thud echoed off the castle corridors as Hitomi ran out of the room and into the wall. She pushed off the wall and propelled herself down the void hallway, Van in tow. Their hair whipped about their faces and flew behind them like a scarf. Hitomi's track training surfaced as she bounded down the hall. Her mind screamed imprecations; if Varie wasn't there Hitomi would blow into tiny pieces. "Varie, Varie, Varie, Varie!" she panted worriedly, with the echo of Van growling "Shit." Upon reaching the door her body continued to run as her mind stopped, causing her to slide slightly. Van followed suit. She pounded on the door repetitively, her pleas for Varie to open the door and the thudding of her fist against the thick oaklike wood door resounded down the many corridors and weren't answered. 

The door next to them opened, revealing a half-awake Uryko. His hands were balled into fits while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What the Hell do you think you're doing? It's…" Uryko looked at his watch, "three o'clock in the afternoon… Wait that can't be right." He checked his watch again as Van spoke.

"It's Varie."

"I-I can'tfeelherpresenceanymore, Uryko! She's ga—one " Hitomi whined so quickly and so high, her words slurred together, but the men seemed to understand. Thud! "DAMN door!" Hitomi screeched after she kicked it. 

Uryko closed his eyes, as if in deep thought. When he opened them he spoke, "You're right."

"It's locked. Break down the door." Hitomi demanded.

"Can we do that? I mean… can we do that?"

"Shut-up and break down the damn door, you two! Van, you'll pay for the damage, right?"

"Thanks for volunteering me." Van grumbled as he got in position next to Uryko. "On three."

"On three, or after three?" Uryko asked.

"On three." 

"Right!"

"One…Two…Three!" Hitomi counted. 

Van charged forward, with Uryko not too far behind. The bolt on the door buckled, a hinge broke, and wood splinters soared into the room at incredible speeds.

Hitomi ran in after them and headed for the bed with all her hope focused on one person. "Varie?" Hitomi whispered. As she reached the bed. It looked as if a figure was asleep on the bed. Hitomi pulled down the covers as the two men groaned. There was nothing but pillows. 

"I said 'on three,' ya idiot." Van snapped.

"Temper, temper!" Uryko said rubbing his wounds.

"She isn't here! She's-not-here! Not here, not here, not here!" Hitomi's voice was drenched with hysteria. 

Someone ran past the door speedily, not noticing the wreckage. Seconds later it reappeared. "What the Hell happened?" 

"Vaire's gone." Van stated standing up. 

"Celena's gone too." Gaddes said looking at the king. "I was with—I was outside and I heard a scream. I knew it was Celena's but I didn't want to believe it. I saw three dragon's fly across the moon. I ran to her room and she wasn't there." He paused, taking in a deep breath to keep his emotions in check. "I was just on my way to get Allen." 

"That's odd," Van began, "dragons don't usually fly in packs. They are solitary creatures." Van moved to his hands and knees and looked under the bed. 

Hitomi roamed around the room, and balcony. Nothing. She reached the far wall and turned around. When she took a step forward the wall behind her started to ripple. Two scaly, green arms complete with hands and long, sharp claws reached out toward Hitomi. One hand covered her mouth before she had the chance to scream and the other snaked around her waist, pulling her into the wall. She wrestled, struggled, and wriggled in the creature's grip. Tear's rolled down her cheeks, down the hand and onto the floor. She closed her eyes. "This is a dream. It's all a dream. Varie's still asleep in her bed and everything will be all right. Okay, Hitomi wake up now…Help!" mind screamed. She opened her eyes again and saw the three men talking. "Hello! Help!" 

Sweet smelling breath blew past her face. Her vision slowly blurring, and her judgement slowly impairing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a multitudinous amount of white, jagged teeth; gleaming in the moons' glow. A single yellow eye with nothing but a black slit for the pupil looked at her.

"Don't scream," it hissed under its breath. "I don't want to hurt you Seeress."

"Yeah! You would know!" Uryko said meeting Van's height, then standing up to check the bed once more. 

"Van lives in a country surrounded by dragons. Of course he would know." Gaddes retorted.

"Well, excu—use meee Mister Know-it-all!" Uryko snapped back.

"Temper, temper!" Van said mocking Uryko. 

"Shh… never mind." 

"I'll go get Allen." Gaddes left the room. 

Uryko ripped the covers off the bed and with Van's help pushed off the top mattress.

"Sure, she'll be in between the mattresses." Van snorted. He looked up. "Hitomi what do you—?" she wasn't in the room. "Hitomi?" Van moved over to the other side of the bed. Something moved out of the corner of his eye. The wall was rippling. A hand? Something glittered in the moonlight. A ring? Hitomi! He bolted over to the hand and began to pull. "Uryko get over here!" 

Within seconds Uryko was there too, pulling on the hand. The forearm appeared, then an elbow, shoulder, neck, head. Hitomi gasped for air as she surfaced out of the wall. Her other arm, torso, and legs were still in the wall. "ON three." As they prepped, Hitomi moved her arm up to the creature's chest. "Three!" she pushed off the creature, her hand catching on something. She was ripped out of the creature's grasp, out of the wall and the object in her hand came with her.

"Took you long enough," Hitomi growled her hot tears streamed down as she got off the two men. "Thanks." She stood up and began to walk. Her hand felt warm, really warm, really, really warm. It burned. The object's heat was unbearable. "Ouch!" Hitomi yelped as she opened her hand and let the object fly. It was a medallion. 

"What?" Van asked when he got to her. 

"That stupid thing burned me, look!" She shoved her hand in front of Van's face. Her skin was dark red, blistered and puffy. The burn seemed to be a symbol, looking like water, or a dragon, or something… Van was unsure what it was. 

Uryko picked up the medallion, still red from the heat. "Damn, that thing looks like a dragon…" he touched it absently. Hitomi moved to stop him. His fingers ran across the glowing metal. "It's not burning me." He stated; his whole hand cupped the medallion. "Weird…" 

"The thing was a dragon. Its eyes looked like that one dragon's eye that you slayed on Earth." She said looking at Van. "But it was standing on both legs, and it had arms and legs, not four legs..."

"A Biped?" Uryko said letting go of the medal, now back to it's original color.

She nodded. There was a long silence as Hitomi took in a long breath. She turned to Uryko. "It knows Japanese." 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry._ Hitomi thought over and over. _I've cried too much. I can't cry. I must be strong. _No matter how much she told her self that the tears rolled down her face from the pain in her hand and heart. It was bandaged now, the hand. No one was able to figure out why the medallion had burned her and not Uryko and know one knew what the symbol was. The morning sun played with her hair as she stood on the castle roof overlooking Palas. Her eyes reflecting the bright light, though dull and bland. 

A group of soldiers ran past the castle wall. They were still searching every nook and krany for the to missing girls. But it was futile. Hitomi knew in her heart that Celena and Varie were no longer in the country. They hadn't been in the country since she came up to the roof. 

Things weren't going too well for Hitomi. Van hadn't spoke to her since they found out two girls had vanished. Surely if Van hadn't noticed her hand then she would have turned up missing as well. But why? Who would want them?

Sighing Hitomi sank to her knees and rested her head on the cold stone. Her life had become a mess ever since she left Gaea. Attacks, death and lies surrounded her on Earth. There were so many things that she hadn't told Van. Sure, she told him about the attack on her and the death of her family, but not of the one thing that still plagued her. Even now she couldn't believe what she had wanted to do years ago. 

She sat in her room, four years after her adventure on this magical planet, deciding if it was the right thing to. Wondering if she would ever come back. Terrified that Van had found another. She had nothing left her family, and her innocence were gone, dead. She held a dagger that she had borrowed from the dojo. At the last second she was taken to Gaea. It was a Godsend. 

She sighed again. _I didn't tell him a lot of stuff…_

"God damn-it! Why is my life such a depressing mess?" Hitomi yelled at the sky. "Why are you making my life a living Hell? …You enjoy it don't you, seeing people suffer! Some superior being you are!" She threw her hands in the air then looked back over to the sea, saying some very unpleasant words under her breath. 

A cold rush of wind blew past. Hitomi looked out of the corner of her eye and chose to remain silent. 

"We do not enjoy your pain. Everything is Fated, Destined to be, Seeress. Your daughter and Celena are missing for a reason. Something has been left unfinished and it is up to my son to destroy it." 

"But why?" Hitomi whispered turning to the translucent apparition. "Why all this pain?" Hitomi laughed slightly not knowing why. Maybe she had lost it, after all she was talking to a spirit. "Must everything be so painful?" 

"No, you're just making it painful. I—" 

"You have no idea what I have been through, so shove it!" Hitomi snapped. She closed her eyes tight after remembering whom she was talking to. "Sorry, Varie."

"It's alright. I know how you feel. I lost many people in my life too. I have suffered like you are suffering now."

"Not as much as Van." Hitomi looked into the woman's eyes. "He lost his whole family, his country, me, and now his daughter. If you had stayed with Van instead of run after Folken, things would be different. Sure, I wouldn't have met Van, but maybe his life wouldn't have been so damn hard!" Again she remembered whom she was talking to. She turned to the sea. _Shut up, Hitomi!_

"I thank you for speaking your mind, Lady Hitomi." The woman's voice dripped with disdain. Varie kneeled next to Hitomi and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her ebony hair flowed over her shoulder. She spoke again but her voice was caring. "But please, don't hold everything that goes wrong against me, and the Divine. Most of the time it is a consequence for poor judgement of this side or the other. Just…ride it out." Then the woman was gone. 

Hitomi continued to look over the city to the horizon. How long would it take for her fall from this spot? How long would it take for her to drown in that ever-flowing ocean, the bringer of life and death? She cursed herself for thinking those thoughts. _Varie needs my help, not a dead mother._

Hitomi cringed as a pain stung her heart. _She's afraid… _She looked up to the sky. "Where are you?" She looked at the sun. It had finished half its journey. She'd been up there for a long time.

"Hitomi?" Hitomi looked up after whipping her tears away, only to find Van and the others looking at her, Eries standing nearer to her than the others. "I have had Gaddes prep the Crusade for a voyage north. Dryden is there along with Milerna, and Merle."

Hitomi snorted softly. "No wonder it was so quiet…" She whispered.

"Dryden might be able to decipher the symbol on the medallion."

Hitomi stood up silently, her skirts rustling with the motion. She smiled and nodded to Eries. "Thank you." She managed to say while walking past. She dreaded the thought of a road trip, but if it helped her to find Varie, she guessed it wasn't such a bad idea. "I appreciate your kindness, Eries. When are we to leave?" 

"As soon as possible."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The cargo bay was silent for the most part. Nothing but the faint roar of the engine could be heard. The party had left Palas two hours ago and two more needed to pass as the Crusade flew north. No one was speaking to each other. Everyone was in their own place doing what they had to do in silence. 

Van unseethed his sword and began his training. The victim—a fat, wood support pillar he had always practiced on when he flew in this ship. All his anger, abhorrence, dejection, and diffidence seeped out of him, onto the sword and left a scar on the poor, poor pillar. He was so entranced by the act of hurting something realize someone had walked into the room. Van let one last thrash fly and as the sword cut through half the wood he broke apart. He rested his head against the pillar; his eyes full of unshed tears. He pulled away and punched the pillar, causing the deep scar to expand.

"I think you have anger management problems, buddy."

Van turned to look at the man. He took a deep breath trying to keep his emotions from showing. Van wordlessly ripped his sword out of the pillar.

"So…You're a king, right?"

"Yes."

"What kind of country do you run? Agriculture, industry, you know." Uryko moved into the cargo bay and sat on a wooden crate. "Do you think you're a good king? Do your people think you're a good king?"

Van went ridged. "I know you're trying to juice me for information, like, am I a good person, and am I good enough for Hitomi." Uryko slouched, defeated in his own interrogation. "I love her, you know. Nothing will ever change that." He paused, "and as for my country it's a mix of many things. Trade is the norm. My people…? I sure do as Hell hope they think I'm a good king."

"With the way you've been acting recently it seems like you're holding Hitomi in contempt." He began to walk out. He hollered over his shoulder "Talk to her Van. She needs you to comfort her, not me. I've been doing that for the past ten years." he turned around and meet eye to eye with Van. Van felt slightly uncomfortable; Uryko's eyes were highly disturbing when he was serious; piercing and deadly. "And, Van, keep in mind if you hurt Hitomi, if you do to her what you were doing a few minutes ago I will make your death extremely slow and painful." With that Uryko was gone.

Moving out of the cargo bay, Van sighed. _Better now than never…I must find Hitomi._

****

Author's Notes: Well there ya go! There's Part 5! It's not as long as the others are and there's not much action and stuff, but hey! I know the top went sorta slow for the situation and well, it's really hard to write two events happening at the same time at the same time. This fic is being hosted on http://www.opalwings.com/escaflowne the site is run by StarsapphireZ. Go check it out. There are really amazing fics on the site, including hers. GO READ!!! =^0^=


	6. Tsuki no Hime: Part 6

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Author's Notes: Hey there! Thanx again for the wonderful reviews. Sorry for all grammatical errors and crap, yeah not smart enough to see 'em. I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry for the long delay. I've been a very busy person. School is taking a toll on me. This was just a short update to let everyone know I'm still alive. I have not edited it yet so if there are some mistakes please bear with me. I was going to make it longer, but I thought I've made you wait long enough. I am considering adding more to it, just to describe things. **REMEMBER: THIS IS NOT THE FINISHED PRODUCT!**

LOTR comes out in 8 months I am sooooo going to break my record and see it 8 times…Look at me I'm getting my hopes up! N'eh… oh well. 

I'm also considering of doing a Prequel fic—V/H's relationship after the Gaean War and the past you don't know—and a companion fic—about Dilly and Ezree's relationship before, during and after the Great War and how Ezree must cope with no longer having Dilandau by her side. Let me know if any of these sound interesting. I would be more than happy to start writing them if people are willing to read them. =^0^= 

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Disclaimer: Think about it. Would I be writing this if I owned Escaflowne?

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The Vision of Escaflowne: Tsuki no Hime—Part 6

Morning light seeped through the unbelievingly enormous bay windows. The light floated about the room making every piece of furniture shine and glow. The four poster bed, stained a deep mahogany, held a young woman and a little girl in the seemingly new white covers. Their heads rested on many, many pillows of varying sizes. 

The first person to show any amount of life was the little girl. Her sapphire orbs fluttered open, glittering in the sun. A hand came up to brush her white hair from her face. She sat up quickly and looked around the room frantically. This wasn't her room. Aside from the bed, there was a deep mahogany dresser, desk and table complete with matching chairs. Her room in Asturia had only a bed and a desk. The young girl turned to her right hoping to find something recognizable. She noticed that she wasn't the only one in the room. Yelping, the girl jumped to the edge of the bed. Cautiously, the girl made her way over to the sleeping woman. 

"Celena!" Varie said, her voice shaky and frantic. She shook the young woman. "Celena, wake up!" 

"But Allen why must I go the Mystic Moon?" Celena slurred out, obviously dreaming, as she turned to her other side. Dreamlike the woman snorted and laughed.

Varie sighed and shook her again but with more force. "Celena, wake up please." She paused to look around again but found the room exactly the same. "Celena please! I don't know where we are!" Tears began to form in Varie's sapphire eyes.

In a flash the older woman sat up screaming, "Run! The turkeys are after us!" Her eyes were wide and frantic, then slowly they changed to something else—confusion, alertness. She whispered her voice hoarse and unused. "Where am I?"

"I don't know." Varie replied looking out the window. A huge town expanded outward from where ever they were. It stretched for miles, never ending. The edge of the city could not be seen.

Celena screamed and jumped, falling off the bed in a heap of blankets and sheets. She hadn't known that someone else was in the room. 

Varie leaned over the edge. The bed was a good four feet up. She winced knowing all too well how much falling off a bed can hurt. "Are you okay?" 

The blonde-haired woman failed to respond to the girl's question and snorted as she fought with the sheets, kicking and flailing her arms about. Her attempts to release herself were futile. "Sometimes, sometimes I wish I had the gracefulness of Dilandau. Really, I do!" She mumbled annoyed, looking at nothing but the sheets. Red faced, Celena fell backwards in defeat. "That way I'd quit running into things, and falling off things… and tripping over things...."

"Need help? …Who's Dilandau?"

"Yes. And a…a figment of my imagination." Celena replied as she watched Varie jump off the bed with ease. Her dark blue regal-looking nightgown rustled as she walked to Celena. "Or I could be like you. You're graceful, and you're only six." Celena stated more to herself then anything.

"No, I'm not graceful. One time Mother called me to the kitchen to help with dinner and I ran down the hall only slip and slide the rest of the way down the hall, past the kitchen and into Tatsuki. He went flying and I smacked into the wall." She began to pull at the sheets. "I didn't cry." Varie added hastily. "I just laughed a lot. I watched Tatsuki twitch on the floor. Yeah, that was funny." She laughed. Her laughter was contagious and caused Celena to smile.

"You're a very smart girl, Varie, and once we get myself untangled we'll find out where we are okay?" 

"Okay." 

The blonde woman looked at her own nightgown. It was a soft baby blue and just as regal as Varie's. _I wonder…_Celena figured that they must be in a friendly kingdom, with a ruler who knew who they were, for Celena was sure that it if she and Varie were found by someone else the two of them wouldn't be alive at the moment. 

Looking up, Celena watched the young girl fumble with the sheets. A knock came from the door. She looked up, contemplating if she should let the person enter. _It's probably just a maid._ Celena thought. "Come in!" Varie untangled the last blanket as Celena stood up to meet the visitor.

How wrong she was. A soldier, a few years younger than her, walked through the doorway. He looked down at the two women, his eyes widened when he met Celena's sky-blue irises. "Oh!" His eyes averted to the ground, "Forgive me. I-I-I-" He backed up into the doorway. "I'll come back later."

Celena grabbed a blanket and threw it around herself. "Wait come back please," The soldier stopped, hesitated and then continued out the door. "Wait, where are we?" the soldier paused again. "Please?"

The soldier stopped, slowly turned halfway, and looked into Celena's eyes. Hie eyes were extremely intense, hard and intimidating. Mentally, Celena shrunk back, but physically she stood strong, showing none of the fear zipping through her mind. 

The soldier turned completely to face her. Short honey brown locks fell over his gold tinted hazel eyes. Tall and proud, he stood, as he regarded the woman. She was beautiful, new and determined. He could sense her emotions, her fear and the under-laying bravery. "You're in Dimitria."

Silence filled the room. The two adults kept fierce eye contact, as if exchanging a whole conversation. "Where?" Varie asked, moving next to Celena. 

The soldier was shocked, not because he didn't think the little girl could speak, but because of the language she spoke. He knew the language fluently, though he was quite rusty. No one he knew could speak it, the language of his homeland, a place that he hadn't seen for eight years. The little girl spoke Japanese. Even if the two women knew it shocked him, they wouldn't have known. He was able to mask his emotions well. "Dimitria," the soldier repeated keeping his eyes on Celena. Reluctantly, he looked down at the girl. "Dimitria is a friend to Asturia, little lady." 

The girl nodded, and grabbed onto Celena's blanket. Celena looked down and put her hand affectionately on her white-haired head. If the soldier didn't know better he would've thought that they were mother and daughter, but he knew the girl was the daughter of the Seeress. He knew the little girl was the all-powerful daughter of a goddess and a demon. The one thing that annoyed him was that he was never able to find out the Seeress's name. He thought that if he could find her he might be able to find a way home. 

"Why are we here?" Celena asked.

"You were captured by a rouge, nomadic tribe of Anakar." Celena's eye grew wide. "You were found near The River. My soldiers brought you back here. And now you're here." He waited for Celena to ingest the information. He felt sorry for her, truly sorry. The soldier knew that the woman and child had no idea what was to come, what someone was planning for them. He was sorry that such beautiful creatures had to go, eventually, to waste. "I'll go inform the Zar that you are awake." He turned to leave, but was stopped again by Celena. 

"What is your name?" 

The soldier turned slightly and met Celena's gaze. "Taruku. General Taruku Kanzaki."

Celena gasped.

Varie looked at the ground wracking her brain. That name sounded so unbelievingly familiar. Then it hit her. "That's my uncle's name."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    
    
    "Trouble oh trouble set me free
    I have seen your face
    And it's too much for me…"

The resounding thump of Van's boots resounded off the ship's walls as he walked to the top of the Crusade. He had known Hitomi was up there, he could feel her presence. No matter how many times he tried to think of a way to say sorry he couldn't. For the first time in a long while his mind was blank. 
    
    
    "Trouble oh trouble can't you see
    You're eating my heart away
    And there's nothing left of me…"
    He was a father and Hitomi was his Queen. A daughter…It hurt Van to know that he hadn't been there, that he wasn't able to be by Hitomi's side. If he had been there, if he had known, he would've made Hitomi stay. The question was did Hitomi know before she had left Gaea? She must've known something was up, for it had been two months since that night they shared. He smiled slightly at the memory. They, he and Hitomi, had been transported to the Mystic Moon. The School was empty, and Hitomi had showed him everything, her life, her home, her world. 
    "I've drunk your wine
    You have made your world mine
    So won't you be fair
    So won't you be fair…"
    _Could my life get any better?_ The king thought sarcastically. As soon as his love entered his life, as soon as everything was happy again, something bad had to happen. It troubled Van. Who in their right mind would want to take a six-year-old girl and a noble woman of Asturia? He hoped with every fiber of his being that the two women were okay. If anyone harmed either one there would be a price to pay. Many people would kill the culprit if they got their hands on them. Van, on the other hand, wouldn't kill them. He would torture them, make their life a living Hell and their death slow and painful.
    "I don't want no more of you
    So won't you be kind to me
    Just let me go where
    I have to go there…"
    Van continued down the long, metallic hallway, his brain still blank. The last time he had blanked out was years ago when the Queen of Zaibach told him that the evil menace Dilandau had a son. Two completely different events yet spawned the same reaction. The door to the roof came in sight. 
    "Trouble oh trouble move away
    I have seen your face
    And it's too much for me today…"
    Van reached the open door then paused. Someone was singing. The voice lyrical and soothing made its way to Van's ears and eased him. He looked outside careful no to disturb the person. To his surprise it was Hitomi. It never occurred to him that it was her, even though they were the only two on the roof. No matter how hard Van tried, he couldn't carry a tune. Hitomi was the only logical explanation. He listened to Hitomi's soft, painful voice.
    "Trouble oh trouble can't you see
    You have made me a wreck
    Now won't you leave me in my misery
    I have seen your eyes
    And I can see death's disguise
    Hanging on me
    Hanging on me…"
    It surprised Van that the song did fit their situation quite well. Their emotions were being belted out into the wind for only the two of them. It spoke nothing but the truth. No song on Gaea was like this. The people of this world were sheltered people and to write for public view, or even to sing what one felt was considered a taboo. Van thought that stupid unspoken, unwritten, well-known rule was nothing but manure.
    "I'm beat I'm torn
    Shattered and tossed and worn
    Too shocking to see
    Too shocking to see…"
    Hitomi's voice was that of an angel, a goddess. Van recalled a memory that stuck with him for ages. It was at the final battle of the Dragon War. He, Hitomi, Allen, his men, and many many soldiers had stormed the castle of the enemy. In attempt to save Van, Hitomi had dodged in front of him and took the sword meant for him.
    "Trouble oh trouble move from me
    I have paid my debt now
    Won't you leave me in my misery…"
    Hitomi rose to the sky with the energy of the pendent and transformed into the goddess Cytheria, the ultimate goddess of Atlantis. She purged Gaea of its human demons and brought peace, a shaky peace, to Gaea, but not without a price. She had passed to the Undying Lands, the afterworld that was believed to exist, for many minutes before she had been revived.
    "Trouble oh trouble please be kind
    Don't want no fight
    And I haven't got a lot of time."
    Hitomi's voice stopped short. Van looked out the door again. She was just sitting there, staring into the horizon. She possibly sensed him and choked. There were no signs that Hitomi was crying. Van cautiously made his way to Hitomi. Even when he stood next to her she didn't acknowledge him. It wasn't until he sat down next to her that she paid him any attention. Her hand extended out and landed on his far shoulder. "Here," Hitomi said quietly as she patted her lap. "Lay down." Her hand delicately guided his head to her lap. 

An uneasy pacific silence fell. Hitomi's fingers played with Van's unruly raven hair. Their breathing synchronized. After what seemed like eternity Hitomi spoke, "Just our luck isn't it? The first time we see each other in six years and something devastating happens. As always…Are we really that unlucky?"

"No. Never think that." Van replied as he sat up. "You have made thousands of people here on Gaea happy. You allowed for them to live their lives, and in doing so allowed yourself to live your life. No matter what the legends say, no matter what people think you will always be lucky and wonderful and accepted, because you are my queen." He cupped her face with his callused hands, his thumbs wiping non-existent tears from her cheeks. He brushed his lips against hers. 

"I miss her." 

"I know." Van whispered as he kissed her forehead and pulled her into an immense hug. 

Hitomi held up her hand and pressed her palm against his. "I…As long you're with me I know everything will be okay. I know I have nothing to fear. I'll never be afraid as long as you're by my side." 

Van flashed back to the night six years ago, the night they were transported to the Mystic Moon. Hitomi had said the exact same thing and had held his hand in the same manner. Van allowed for their fingers to intertwine. "We will take the consequences as they come." 

Hitomi nodded sleepily, eyelids beginning to droop. "I'm tired…" Van nodded and laid down against the metal roof. A nice summer breeze played with their hair. Hitomi made herself comfortable by using Van's buff chest as a pillow. Before they slipped into the dream world Hitomi whispered something that Van could barely hear. "I knew…" Both closed their eyes and enjoyed sleeping in the summer sun. 

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Author's Notes: Sorry for the font mix up if there is one and the layout. FF.net is doing something weird. Review please! If you like this fic, please check out my others.


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